Utah State softball lost 15-3 to No. 23 Grand Canyon in the opening game of a three-game series on March 27 at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field.
The matchup saw Utah State take an early lead in the second inning when senior catcher Grace Matej hit her fifth home run of the season, marking the 23rd of her career. Freshman infielder Kate Vance followed two batters later with her first collegiate home run, sending a shot to deep center field.
Grand Canyon responded in the third inning by scoring five runs, taking advantage of two hits, three walks, and an error. The Lopes’ rally included a two-run single, a two-run double, and an RBI sacrifice fly. After this outburst, Utah State’s pitching staff limited Grand Canyon to just one hit and no runs over the next three innings.
However, Grand Canyon broke open the game in the seventh inning with ten hits that led to ten runs. Freshman infielder Jazmin Ramirez contributed Utah State’s final score with her fourth home run of the year during the bottom half of that inning.
Utah State used four pitchers throughout the contest: freshmen Kendall Cochran and Jordyn Lish covered most of the innings before seniors Sydney Saldana and Rylie Pindel finished out the game.
The Aggies will play game two against Grand Canyon at noon tomorrow at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field.
