The Weber State University softball team made easy work of Southern Idaho, beating the Eagles 9-1 in their fall season opener on Sept. 15.

“Our kids played the way they were taught to play,” Weber State head coach Mary Kay Amicone said. “I really liked what I saw today.”

Pitching for the Wildcats was freshman pitcher Jordan Lockhart — making her career debut on the mound — and Bailey Seek, who closed out the game, relieving Lockhart.

The pitchers struck out two batters apiece and combined to give up only four hits throughout the game.

“There’s a lot of talent on this team,” Lockhart said. “It makes me feel good that they asked me to join as a freshman and help them win.”

Weber State had no trouble heating up their bats, scoring five runs in the second inning.

The Eagles did what they could with a run in the top of the third inning, but the Wildcats kept piling on the hits, scoring in the fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth innings.

The Wildcat defense played strongly throughout, backing up their pitching staff and working hard together to get the first win of the season.

In the fall season of NCAA Division I softball, regulation games last 10 innings, allowing a little more playing time than the normal nine-inning games.

“It’s great to play,” Amicone said. “We’ve only had four practices because of the NCAA rules, so it’s good to see someone else on the field.”

Heading into the 2016-17 season, Wildcat softball has added eight new players to its roster.

“We’ve got a lot to do but with a lot of talent,” Amicone said.

In their second matchup of the fall season, the Wildcats took on the Snow College Badgers and took the victory on Sept. 17.

The score was 5-3 after 10 innings in a game wherein the Wildcats never trailed.

The scoring began in the first inning when sophomore JaeCie Wilson drew a leadoff walk and came around to score two batters later on a junior Molly Horne double.

The game was tied in the fourth inning at 2-2, when Weber State brought in junior relief pitcher Bailey Seek.

The two winning runs were scored by the Wildcats in the sixth inning off of two errors by the Snow College pitcher and catcher.

Seek is now one of the most veteran pitchers on the team, along with fellow junior Kirtlyn Bohling, and is one of the team’s leaders.

“For me, it’s kind of hard because I’ve never been that one in that role, but I think [Bohling and I] are both embracing it pretty well,” Seek said. “I mean [Tatiana Su’esu’e] is doing really well in being a leader, too — I think the three of us together helping [freshman picther Jordan Lockhart] is going to be really good.”

The next game for the Wildcats will be on Sept. 20, against Salt Lake Community College at 3 p.m. on the Wildcat Softball Field.