After a three-day, double-elimination tournament in Ogden, the Weber State University softball team claimed its second consecutive Big Sky Conference championship title on May 14 after defeating Idaho State University 4–2.
“It was a great team effort,” Weber State head coach Mary Kay Amicone said. “We had an incredible weekend.”
After nearly four scoreless innings, Weber State put the first point on the board when junior Sara Hingsberger hit a high-fly ball to right field, allowing freshman JaeCie Wilson to score on the sacrifice fly out.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, junior Mackenzi Corta hit an RBI single that brought junior Katelyn Robinson home to add another point to the scoreboard, giving WSU a 2–0 lead.
Idaho State answered back with two points, tying the game up at the top of the fifth, when freshman pitcher Tatiana Su’esu’e came into the game to relieve sophomore pitcher Kirtlyn Bohling.
“Kirtlyn gave us every ounce she could, and we knew we had to move forward with one of our three pitchers, and it was so cool to see (Su’esu’e) turn it on,” Amicone said.
Despite the high pressure of the situation, Su’esu’e remained focused on keeping the Bengals from scoring again.
“I know I needed to shut them down,” Su’esu’e said. “I had to go all out for my seniors, my team, for everyone in the dugout. I had to go in and give everything I had because this was it.”
Weber State broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth when Tournament MVP and Big Sky Player of the Year Aubrey Whitmer hit an RBI single, bringing senior Alyson Kulp home.
“We did what we know how to do, and we came out successful,” Whitmer said. “We came in fired up, and we just wanted to get at them. We really just stuck together. … It was definitely a team win.”
In the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs, senior Krystin Kubo hit a solo home run over left-center field to increase the Wildcats’ lead to 4–2.
“Someone brought to my attention at the end of the game that this was my last hit on this field,” Kubo said, speaking of her home run. “It was pretty sweet to have that be my last hit.”
The Wildcat defense was quick on their feet and quickly shut down ISU in the top of the seventh to seal the championship title.
“We are going to play on,” Amicone said. “We are really excited to be able to add on to the legacy of this team.”
The Wildcats improved to 37–17 overall and became the first team in league history to win both the Big Sky regular season title and championship in the same year.
“It is difficult to win both,”Amicone said. “I am so proud of this team. … And that will help us moving forward into regionals.”
Weber State will play University of Washington in the NCAA Softball Regionals on May 20 in Seattle, Washington.
