The Weber State University softball team faced off against the Sacramento State Hornets in a doubleheader on March 30, made necessary by a game postponed due to unplayable field conditions after a snowstorm the day prior.
The Wildcats took advantage of the extra day, sweeping the Hornets in the twinbill by scores of 7–4 and 7–3. WSU is 4–0 in conference play and has now won five consecutive games overall.
Senior right-handed pitcher Tatiana Su’esu’e took the mound for the Wildcats in game one and said she was ready take advantage of having her start pushed
back a day.
“We were staying ready and staying excited,” Su’esu’e said. “We made sure we all still wanted to be there and took advantage of having two games on a good-
weather day.”
Su’esu’e battled through adversity in the first game, finishing with 10 strikeouts in a complete game victory, despite having allowed runs in three consecutive innings in the middle of the contest.
Sacramento State held a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning before junior shortstop Sydney White tied the game with a two-run home run to dead center field.
The Hornets regained the lead on a first-pitch homer in the sixth, but it was short-lived. WSU freshman catcher Lauren Hoe came up with a clutch two-out, two-run double, which brought in her twin sister Faith and junior outfielder Courtney Petska for a 5–4 advantage.
White then stayed on fire at the plate, ripping a single to left to give the Wildcats an insurance run. The fireworks ended with an RBI single from junior outfielder Landi Hawker to bring in White and give her team a 7–4 advantage.
Sophomore right-hander Kate Donaldson took the hill in game two and was also eager to go. She surrendered just one run in her first six innings of work while striking out five. Weber State scored six runs in their final two at-bats for a comfortable victory.
“You just got to stay calm and trust your defense behind you and know that your team is going to make plays for you,”
Donaldson said.
The big hits in the nightcap came from sophomore infielder Chloe Camarero and Hawker. Camarero singled past a drawn-in infield to drive in two runs in the fifth inning, with Hawker scoring on a nifty tip-
toe slide.
Hawker then put the Hornets away with her second triple of the day, a slicing fly ball over left fielder Suzy Brookshire’s head to plate two.
Wildcats head coach Mary Kay Amicone was pleased with Saturday’s outcome, especially the efforts of the pitching trio.
“All three pitchers did a great job,” Amicone said. “They are really unselfish, they love each other and they pitch for each other. The sticks work together to get
them runs.”
Up next for Weber State is a three-game series against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. The Wildcats will face off against their rivals from down south in a doubleheader on April 5 and then cap off the series with a noon game on April 6.
