The Weber State University softball team looked like they were clearly in mid-season form both hitting and pitching, with a blowout 15—0 win over the Aggies of Utah State.
“I felt really good about all of my pitches,” ace pitcher Tatiana Su’esu’e said. “I have to give a lot of credit to the pitch-calling and my catcher, Lauren, who was working really hard all game and helped get a bunch of calls my way.”
Su’esu’e only allowed two hits through six scoreless innings, and senior Addie Jensen added three strikeouts in the last three innings to finish the Aggies off.
In addition to the superb pitching performance by Weber State, the Wildcats had four players with three hits each and six separate players score at least one run. Junior Outfielder Landi Hawker showed her speed on the bases, as she led the Wildcats scoring three runs of her own along with a stolen base.
After just two runs through two innings, the Wildcats put up four runs in the third, which began with Sydney White, junior infielder, and Takesha Saltern, junior outfielder, who each contributed three hits, two runs and an RBI.
Utah State was forced to use three different pitchers throughout the course of this game due to their struggles with their command on the mound giving up 11 hits through just five innings.
The onslaught continued in the sixth inning. RBI’s by Junior Outfielder Courtney Pestka and Sophomore Infielder Chloe Camarero led Wildcats to another four run inning.
The success from the veteran players helped WSU shut out the Aggies, but the most impressive aspect of this win was the production from the freshmen both at the plate and in the field. Brooke Moeai, McKell McCuistion and Faith Hoe, all freshman starters, combined to drive in seven runs on the day.
The Aggies didn’t go home without a fight. In the top of the eighth inning, they were able to string a few hits together and load up the bases. However, unfazed, Addie Jensen got out of the jam and kept the shutout going.
Despite this 15—0 blowout by the Wildcats, they cannot get complacent. After a disappointing 28-26 record last season, the Wildcats, led by head coach Mary Kay Amicone, are determined to reclaim themselves as a powerhouse in the Big Sky Conference as they did in 2016 and 2017.
“I think we can improve on not letting up, like in those couple innings where we didn’t get any runs,” Su’esu’e said. “We didn’t really have anybody on base to have chances to score, so the big thing for us is being able to string together good at-bats continuously.”
Weber State has one more home game on October 18 at 3 p.m. against the College of Southern Idaho. It wraps up the fall season and WSU won’t play at home again till March 20.
