Day’s 7th inning homer eliminates Weber State softball from Big Sky Tournament
Sacramento State's Katie Vretzos, right, throws the ball to first base as a Weber State batter runs up the line during a Big Sky Conference tournament game Friday, May 14, 2021, at Wildcat Softball Field in Ogden.
Sacramento State's Lewa Day puts the ball in play during a Big Sky Conference tournament game against Weber State on Friday, May 14, 2021, at Wildcat Softball Field in Ogden.
Weber State infielder Makayla Donahoo swings at a pitch during a Big Sky Conference tournament game against Sacramento State on Friday, May 14, 2021, at Wildcat Softball Field in Ogden.
OGDEN — When Weber State softball left the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning leading 3-2, it felt like an important missed opportunity.
When Sacramento State’s Charizma Guzman reached first in the top of the seventh on a tapper back to the mound, which popped out of WSU pitcher Amanda Sink’s glove and earned her an error, it brought up third baseman Lewa Day.
Day, slugging .750 with 13 home runs on the season, stepped into the box as Austin Christensen, the play-by-play man on the live stream, said “Day is probably the last batter Weber State would want to see in this situation.”
After working the count full, Day sat on what looked like a change-up from Sink, blasting it to right-center field.
Two jumping fist-pumps later, Day’s ball disappeared in the trees beyond the fence and No. 3 Sacramento State went on to defeat Weber State 4-3, eliminating the No. 1 Wildcats from the tournament and ending their season.
Having led from wire to almost-wire until Day’s moonshot, Weber State did not get the potential tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh as Alyssa Nunez finished her fifth inning of shutout ball inside the circle, turning the faucet off for a WSU team that got up 3-0 early.
Ashlyn Visser grounded out to second, Faith Hoe popped out to shortstop and Mariah Ramirez flew out to right-center field, and the stunned Wildcats shuffled off the field, dropping their second one-run decision in as many days.
Weber State ends the season with a record of 25-19, having posted one of the league’s best-ever conference marks at 15-3 for its fifth straight regular-season title before Friday’s unceremonious tournament exit.
With runners on second and third and one out, Visser hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Mia Rushton to give Weber State a 1-0 lead after one inning.
After Ramirez and Lauren Hoe singled in the second, Rushton drove in a pair with a two-RBI single for a 3-0 lead. That was the end of the day for Sac State starter Marissa Bertuccio, giving way to Nunez. Nunez allowed five hits and a walk, striking out zero, over the final five innings, inducing 11 of her 15 outs by groundout.
Sink threw all seven innings for Weber State, allowing seven hits and issuing six walks, though mostly navigating around the baserunners.
In the top of the third, Lauren Hoe threw out Vretzos at third base during a stretch of three singles and two walks for Sac State, mitigating the damage when Sink walked Alondra Mejia with the bases loaded to push across a run. Sink quickly induced a pop up to end that inning with the score 3-1.
In the fifth, Guzman walked and was later driven home on a two-out single from Carley Morfey, making it 3-2.
In the important bottom of the sixth, Big Sky player of the year Lauren Hoe walked to lead off the frame and Emily Ruhl followed with a single. A fielder’s-choice groundout from Makayla Donahoo put runners at the corners and Rushton then loaded the bases with a single.
Katelyn Whiting grounded to third, which resulted in Lauren Hoe being forced out at the plate. With two outs and the bases still loaded, Noelle Foster pinch-hit for Chloe Camarero and grounded up the middle, glancing off the pitcher’s glove to Vretzos at second base, who got Foster in time at first to end the threat and set up Day’s heroic homer.
Though the quick, two-game elimination was relatively shocking, it’s notable that Visser is the only player currently rostered as a senior. The regular-season champs will likely be strong, and motivated by this week’s turn of events, in 2022.
PSU INTO TITLE GAME
Portland State and Southern Utah kept the string of outstandingly competitive games going Friday afternoon with a nine-inning affair in the no-loss bracket semifinals.
With a pair of bunts and a fielder’s choice, No. 5 Portland State scored in the bottom of the ninth to defeat No. 2 Southern Utah 6-5, moving the Vikings into Saturday’s championship game.
PSU ace Olivia Grey threw 7 2/3 innings, while not as sharp as on Thursday, kept PSU in position to win. The Vikings scored one run in each of the sixth and seventh innings on a homer and an RBI double, then another run in the eighth to even up at 5-5 on a home run, then another in the ninth to win it.
Portland State will face the winner of the one-loss bracket at noon Saturday. That will be determined by a 9:30 a.m. game between Southern Utah and the winner of Friday evening’s elimination game between Sac State and Montana, which began a full hour behind schedule due to the PSU-SUU marathon.