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Junior center fielder Kara Foster tied the Utah school record with her 49th career home run.
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April 16, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY - Junior center fielder Kara Foster's 49th career home run along the right field line with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the University of Utah softball team a 9-7 win over UNLV at Salt Lake Community College Softball Field (4700 S., Redwood Rd.).
Foster tied Utah's school home run record with her 14th home run of the season and drove in her 30th and 31st runs of the season.
"We had a lot of timely hitting today," Utah head coach Amy Hogue said. "We hit the ball well today in tough counts and Kara [Foster] came up big. Most importantly, I was really proud of how we were able to pick each other up. When something happened or we made a mistake, instead of letting that mistake get us down, we moved on and concentrated on the next play. It was fun and we found a way to win."
Utah (17-23, 1-4 MWC) got a boost offensively in its first Mountain West Conference victory from senior first baseman Staci Hemingway, who was 3-for-4 with two runs batted in. Brooke Olson and Foster both went 2-for-4 with two RBI apiece.
Joni Cook (2-8) earned her second win of the season with 4.2 innings of work, giving up two runs on four hits, while striking out five Rebels and walking one. In her 18th start of the season, Ashley Smuda went 2.1 innings allowing five runs on five while registering four strikeouts with two walks.
Down 7-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Olson reached on an error, before Hemingway singled through the left side. Freshman third baseman Whitney Holm hit an RBI single to center field to knock in her 22nd run of the season.
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Freshman left fielder Hannah Clements led off Utah's seventh inning with a single before Foster knocked her 14th home run of the season down the right field line to complete the comeback victory and set the final margin at 9-7.
In the third inning, Marissa Nichols and Jaci Hull gave the Rebels the lead for the second time with solo homer runs in the third inning to left and right field, respectively. Ashli Holland added a two-run single down the left field line.
Angie Boardman connected on her sixth home run of the season over the left-field wall. The hit drove in her 11th run this season.
Jessica O'Connor took the loss for UNLV (25-15, 2-4 MWC) in 4.1 frames of relief. O'Connor gave up five runs, three earned, on nine hits and she struck out four and walked none.
The game was played on Salt Lake Community College's campus due to poor field conditions at the Ute Softball Field.
The Utes host San Diego State tomorrow at Salt Lake Community College Softball Field (4700 S., Redwood Rd.). First pitch is set for 3 p.m., and The Mtn. will provide a live telecast.
