Weber State softball splits two with Idaho State
Thursday has title implications
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- Weber State second baseman Faith Hoe rounds second on her way to an RBI triple during the Big Sky tournament championship game against Sacramento State on Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Ogden. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
For the fifth time in five Big Sky Conference series, Weber State softball lost the opener and then won the second game that followed.
The final regular-season series is with Idaho State, and the two geographical rivals split a doubleheader Wednesday at Wildcat Softball Field in Ogden.
The Game 1 loss means Weber State can no longer rise as high as third place, removing the possibility of playing last-place Montana to open the conference tournament next week.
The Game 2 win for WSU means the Wildcats can still finish in fourth place if it can defeat ISU again in the regular-season finale at noon Thursday — though whether it’s fourth or fifth, Weber State (12-29, 6-8 Big Sky) is locked into a four-versus-five matchup against Portland State in the first round.
Idaho State (17-26, 9-5) is playing for a share of the regular-season championship Thursday and would also pick up the tournament No. 1 seed if it can beat WSU in the finale.
ISU 3, WSU 2 (8)
The possibility of third place was but one run and Weber State’s first extra-inning game all season away from the Wildcats to open the series Wednesday afternoon.
WSU senior catcher Lauren Hoe hit the 30th home run of her career, a solo shot to left field to tie the game 2-2 in the sixth. Hoe hit 3 for 3 in the game.
Hoe’s homer answered a double-single-single sequence for ISU that had given the Bengals a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth, one that blew up a one-hitter that Mandy Johnson had taken into the fifth inning.
Jayci Finch pitched a scoreless seventh for WSU but surrendered two singles in the top of the eighth that proved to be the winner for ISU.
WSU 5, ISU 4
In Wednesday evening’s Game 2, Weber State tallied four runs in the second inning and Madi Peterson closed the game with 2 2/3 scoreless innings in the circle to get WSU the win.
Mika Chong, Faith Hoe and Lauren Hoe all hit RBI singles in the second, and Emily Ruhl sent home Faith Hoe with a sacrifice fly to put WSU up 5-2. Rule drove in two, and Chong and Faith Hoe each had two hits.