University of Tennessee Athletics
NCAA Regional: Utah 2, Longwood 0
May 16, 2015 | Softball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Utah defeated Longwood, 2-0, advancing to the final of the Knoxville Regional and avoiding elimination.
It was the second game of the day for the Utes, who lost to Tennessee during the first game, 9-1. Utah came out with strong pitching to keep the Lancers from ever getting their bats started or making a comeback.
Starter Sammy Cordova pitched four innings in her fourth win of the year, striking out four batters and only allowing two hits. Katie Donovan recorded her seventh save with three innings pitched and three strikeouts.
In the bottom of the second inning, Utah took a 1-0 lead on a Shelby Pacheco single to center field that scored Anissa Urtez. The Utes added to the lead in the bottom of the sixth, when Mariah Ramirez came in to pinch hit and singled up the middle, scoring Kristen Stewart and extending the lead to 2-0.
Longwood, who was playing in their second consecutive game, struggled to get the bats going after a 6-4 win over Virginia Tech. They were led by pitcher Elizabeth McCarthy, who pitched for 6.2 innings with two strike outs, seven hits and two earned runs.
The Utes and Lady Vols will face off tomorrow at 3:34 p.m. at Lee Stadium for the Knoxville Regional final. If Tennessee wins, they will host Super Regionals next weekend. If Utah wins, the two teams will have to play again in a winner-takes-all game for the region.
