University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, May 13
Ogden, Utah
9:30 am
University of Northern Colorado
12-26
0
vs
4
Portland State
12-24
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Portland State
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
4
14
0
Northern Colorado
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
Photo by: WSU Athletics
Softball drops first game of Big Sky Tournament
5/13/2021 12:05:00 PM | Softball
OGDEN, Utah – Erin Caviness' solid day in the circle combined with Northern Colorado's timely defensive effort kept Portland State within reach for most of Thursday. UNC just couldn't get anything going offensively, though, as PSU walked away with the win, 4-0.
The Vikings' pressure on the Bears' defense began right from the first pitch. Two hits in the opening frame squeaked one run across to give PSU the quick lead.
Portland State looked for more of the same in the second inning. Two more hits and a fielder's choice led to a second run but starting pitcher Erin Caviness was able to hold off the Vikings any further.
Keeping the Vikings off at arm's length became a common theme on Thursday morning. Though PSU tallied 14 hits on the afternoon, Caviness and the Bears were able to strand 12 Portland State runners.
Despite surrendering the two early runs, Caviness pitched brilliantly through the middle parts of the contest. The Thornton, Colorado native blanked the Vikings in the third through sixth innings and finished the day with two strikeouts and just one walk.
With a pair of insurance runs across in the seventh, Northern Colorado needed a little bit of magic to force extra-innings. It wouldn't arrive this time, however, as PSU held on for the 4-0 win and advanced to play Weber State Thursday afternoon.
Game Notes
What's Ahead
The Bears will await the loser of Game 4, which features Southern Utah and the winner of Sacramento State or Montana. First pitch for Northern Colorado is set for Friday, May 14 at noon MT.
To stay up to date on all things UNC softball, visit UNCBears.com follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the UNC Athletics App.
The Vikings' pressure on the Bears' defense began right from the first pitch. Two hits in the opening frame squeaked one run across to give PSU the quick lead.
Portland State looked for more of the same in the second inning. Two more hits and a fielder's choice led to a second run but starting pitcher Erin Caviness was able to hold off the Vikings any further.
Keeping the Vikings off at arm's length became a common theme on Thursday morning. Though PSU tallied 14 hits on the afternoon, Caviness and the Bears were able to strand 12 Portland State runners.
Both Alyssa Wenzel and Natalie Joyner pocketed singles in the second and sixth innings, respectively, but neither was able to make it home to put a run on the board.T4 | Steinker with a good play at the hot corner to strand the SEVENTH runner of the day!
— UNC Bears Softball (@UNC_BearsSB) May 13, 2021
UNC - 0
PSU - 2#BearsStrong #BigSkySB pic.twitter.com/SRzgJosF3L
Despite surrendering the two early runs, Caviness pitched brilliantly through the middle parts of the contest. The Thornton, Colorado native blanked the Vikings in the third through sixth innings and finished the day with two strikeouts and just one walk.
Even when struck with a line drive in the top of the seventh, the sophomore showed her physical and mental toughness to stay in the game and continue to pitch.T2 | Got 'em swinging! That's two for @erincavi !!
— UNC Bears Softball (@UNC_BearsSB) May 13, 2021
UNC - 0
PSU - 1#BearsStrong #BigSkySB pic.twitter.com/x50yx3qYZ7
With a pair of insurance runs across in the seventh, Northern Colorado needed a little bit of magic to force extra-innings. It wouldn't arrive this time, however, as PSU held on for the 4-0 win and advanced to play Weber State Thursday afternoon.
Game Notes
- Alyssa Wenzel and Natalie Joyner combined for both of UNC's hits in the game.
- Between Erin Caviness and Maggie Thurston, the Bears stranded 12 PSU runners.
- Northern Colorado defense stood strong, recording 19 putouts and 14 assists with zero errors.
What's Ahead
The Bears will await the loser of Game 4, which features Southern Utah and the winner of Sacramento State or Montana. First pitch for Northern Colorado is set for Friday, May 14 at noon MT.
To stay up to date on all things UNC softball, visit UNCBears.com follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the UNC Athletics App.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Olivia Grey (6-6)
L: Caviness, Erin (7-15)
Batting:
3B: Marissa Bruno 1 ; Paetynn Lopez 1
RBI: Marissa Bruno 1 ; Paetynn Lopez 1 ; Tayler Gunesch 1 ; Ariana Abalos 1
SF: Marissa Bruno 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Maddie Thompson 1 ; Rachel Menlove 1 ; Ashlyn Monroe 1 ; Olivia Dean 1
SB: Marissa Bruno 1 ; Olivia Dean 1
Base Running:
CS: Strathearn, Lauren 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
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