Thunderbirds Strike Down Bears, 6-4
March 31, 2006
CEDAR CITY, Utah - The University of Northern Colorado softball team dropped a 6-4 decision to the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Kathryn Berg Field on Friday.
Junior Ashley Martinosky went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while junior Kelsey Dumler went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and run scored.
The Bears (7-24) were sparked by Dumler's leadoff triple in the top of the first inning, followed by Martinosky's RBI single to left field.
Southern Utah tied the score in the bottom of the first when SUU's Tiffany Burt hit an RBI triple. Southern Utah took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second when Bobbi Jo Merrill scored on an error by Morgan Dahlman. In the bottom of the third, the Thunderbirds extended their lead to 4-1 when SUU's Kortney Hall and Erin Neiderhauser both hit RBI doubles.
Northern Colorado tied the game at four in the top of the sixth inning after RBI singles from Casey Hogue, Dahlman and Heather Beffert.
But Merrill put the nail in the Bears' coffin on a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth that gave Southern Utah the eventual win.
Hillarie Van Otterloo (2-10) was credited with the loss after pitching a complete game six innings and allowing six runs on eight hits.
The teams began play in the second game of a doubleheader, but the game was stopped in the fourth inning due to heavy rain. The Bears are scheduled to take on Southern Utah tomorrow in another doubleheader, beginning at noon.
