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Lopez Fires Another Shutout, Utes Blank Beavers

by Utah Athletics
Apr 28, 2024

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Mariah Lopez tossed her fourth complete-game shutout of 2024 and Shonty Passi and Julia Jimenez both homered to help guide the University of Utah softball team to a 5-0 blanking of the Oregon State Beavers on Sunday in Pac-12 Conference action at Kelly Field on Corvallis, Ore.
 
This victory improves Utah's record to 30-19 in 2024 and 8-13 in league competition, while the Beavers fall to 20-26 and 8-13.

"Today was a must-win for us and we knew it," said coach Amy Hogue. "It took us a while to blow the game open, but when we did, it felt really good. Shonty got things going and ultimately knocked in the winning run on her solo home run. She had a great weekend and is really playing her best ball right now.

"Mariah continues to give us a chance to win every game she throws. Throwing a shutout against them on day three after they saw her every day this weekend is a tribute to how good she is."
 
For the first four innings, this matchup was a pitcher's duel between Lopez and OSU's Ellie Garcia. Garcia allowed only one Utah runner into scoring position over that span, while Lopez used a double play to escape a jam in the second and got out of a bases-loaded situation in the third. Through those first four frames, both lineups combined for just four singles.
 
It was in the fifth that Passi broke the scoreless draw, pulverizing a 2-1 pitch over the left field fence for her second home run of the season.
 

 
Two innings later, the Utah offense came to life again, sparked this time by a Jimenez solo shot that doubled their advantage, but the Utes didn't stop there. They loaded the bases later in the stanza and brought in one run on a fielder's choice. That was followed by a Kaylah Nelsen two-run single that upped the visitors' lead to 5-0.
 

Lopez handled the rest, breezing through a scoreless bottom of the seventh that secured her 19th win. In seven innings of work, the senior left-hander held OSU to only three singles and also struck out six.

Up Next
The Utes will be back home on Friday to begin their final series of the regular season, hosting the Washington Huskies at 6 p.m.
 
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Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Softball |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).

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