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Utah Softball Trounces No. 22 Baylor for Eighth Straight Win

by Utah Athletics
Apr 24, 2024

SALT LAKE CITY – Sophie Jacquez, Shonty Passi and Kaylah Nelsen each drove in multiple runs and the the University of Utah softball team raced past the Baylor Bears, 9-1, on Wednesday evening at Dumke Family Softball Stadium in Salt Lake City.
 
The Utes have now upped their win streak to eight and are 29-17 in 2024, while the Bears fall to 25-19.

"What a great team win tonight," said coach Amy Hogue. "Sophie blew the game up for us early and this team never looked back. The pressure our offense put on them was relentless. Mariah got better as the game went and got another win with zero earned runs. I was so proud of the way we contributed from the top of the lineup to bottom, as well as the ones that came off the bench. I'm hoping we can take that momentum to Corvallis with us this weekend and keep this thing rolling."
 
Jacquez got the scoring started for the Utes in the opening inning when she came to the plate after the Utes had loaded the bases thanks to a walk and two singles. The senior from California then roped a three-run triple into right-center that got the home team on the board first.
 

 
The Bears responded with an unearned run in the second, but Utah quickly got that run back in their half of the frame courtesy of an RBI single off the bat of Nelsen. The Utes then struck again in the third, first on a Jacquez double that plated Haley Denning, then they added to a two-run Passi single that made the score 7-1.
 
Any thoughts Baylor had of making a comeback were dashed by Mariah Lopez, who retired the side in order in the third, then used a pair of strikeouts to strand two runners in the fourth. She also fired a scoreless fifth to complete an outing in which she struck out six without walking a batter to improve to 18-9. Lopez has now allowed one or zero earned runs in eight consecutive appearances.
 
The Utah offense made sure the fifth inning would be the final inning with a rally that started with Passi's first collegiate home run, a drive that cleared the fence inside the left-field foul pole. The next two hitters reached on singles and two batters later, Nelsen blooped a hit into center to tally the winning run.
 

 
Up Next
The Utes will be on the road to take on the Oregon State Beavers at 8 p.m. MT on Friday.
 
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Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Softball |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).

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