Over the weekend, Utah Softball entered their biggest competition of the year, traveling across the country to Durham, North Carolina, to take part in the NCAA Regionals. The Utes faced two opponents across three games, ultimately succumbing to the University of South Carolina in the final game of the weekend.
Game 1
The first game of the series brought Utah up against the South Carolina Gamecocks, a team they met at the start of the season in the Puerta Vallarta Challenge. Though the team lost to the Gamecocks in the competition, the Utes showed up on Friday with ample determination. Abby Dayton got on base early in the first, but was halted as South Carolina didn’t allow any hits. Aliya Belarde delivered the first Utah hit of the game when she nailed a double out to right field in the top of the third. After Haley Denning grounded out, Belarde advanced to third as a reliable Dayton double ensured her way home.
South Carolina matched this energy in the bottom half of the inning, when a double and a single had the Gamecocks claim two runs of their own, barely stepping ahead of the Utes. The rest of the afternoon saw a total of three additional hits between the two teams, with Utah pitcher Mariah Lopez allowing one. Karlie Davison recorded one of the two for Utah in the top of the seventh in hopes of tying up the game, but unfortunately never made it past first, handing South Carolina the match at 1-2.
Game 2
Saturday’s game brought a first-time matchup for the Utes against the Morgan State Bears, providing a clean slate for both sides to set the tone. The match proved to be an eventful one, though only a single run was made over the course of the afternoon.
Denning opened up the action in the first with a single and nearly made it home before being tagged out at third. Sophie Jacquez claimed a single of her own when Sianni Sakai switched the senior out to pinch run and subsequently got caught stealing second. Utah finally sealed the deal in the third, when Shelbi Ortiz crossed home after plays from Belarde and Denning. Both sides repeatedly came close in the remaining innings, but it ultimately proved to be a single-run day in favor of the Utes.
Game 3
The weekend’s deciding game set up Utah and the Gamecocks once again, with the Utes hoping for a chance at redemption. South Carolina claimed the top half of the inning this time and unfortunately inflicted some irreversible damage at the start of the game. The Gamecocks hastily loaded their bases before bringing up their designated player to hammer out a homer. With six innings still left to go, South Carolina was up by four while the Utes had yet to make a play. In the bottom half of the same inning, however, Utah managed to load their bases as well, though no run was made as the Gamecocks didn’t allow any more hits.
Utah’s moment in the sun came in the bottom of the sixth inning, after another double from Dayton found her at second. A pair of ground outs helped the junior home, but ultimately the Utes ran out of time. The Gamecocks recorded one more run in the seventh for good measure, marking the end of Utah’s NCAA run and closing out their last game as a member of the Pac-12 conference.
“What this team accomplished this year, especially late in the season, showed a whole lot about where their talent level is,” said Head Coach Amy Hogue after the game. “I just keep saying the word ‘proud,’ but I am proud of the work they did to get where they did when the sport is getting so good and so tough.”
Sunday’s match also brought a few achievements for graduate student Denning, who became the first Ute to ever reach 800 at-bats. In addition to runs and hits, she also became Utah’s all-time leader in career batting average, marking an impressive 0.393 to close out her career.
“I knew I made the right choice coming here, and there is no other place I would rather spend six years,” Denning said after the match. “The whole time I have been here, it has been awesome. This last month has just been fun.”
a.thomas@dailyutahchronicle.com
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