SALT LAKE CITY, May 21, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The University of Utah extended one of the most successful softball seasons in school history and completed an NCAA Regional sweep Sunday with a 4-1 victory over Ole Miss.
Utah went 3-0 in its NCAA Regional hosting debut Friday-Sunday at Dumke Family Softball Stadium, where the Utes’ stellar season will continue this week as first-time hosts of an NCAA Super Regional.
“I’m really proud of this team,” Utah head coach Amy Hogue said, praising her players for “accomplishing something we’ve not done” after earning the right to host an NCAA Regional and Super Regional.
“I’d love anybody to come here and play this team right now,” Hogue said, “because we’re playing great, and we just earned a couple more days of ball.”
Utah improved to 40-13 with Sunday’s victory, reaching the 40-win mark for the first time since 2006 and only the seventh time in school history.
The Utes are among 16 teams to advance to the Super Regional round and will host San Diego State (36-15) at 8 p.m. Friday in a best-of-three series. It will be Utah’s third appearance in an NCAA Super Regional and first since 2017.
Mariah Lopez pitched her second consecutive complete game in Sunday’s victory over the Rebels (32-28), allowing only one run on six hits while striking out five and walking three.
It was the 14th complete game of the season and 21st overall at Utah for Lopez, the left-handed junior from Peoria, Arizona.
When asked after the game how much longer she could have continued, Lopez said, “I mean, as long as we need to go. It doesn’t matter.”
Karlie Davison blasted a two-run home run to left-centerfield in the second inning to get the scoring started and give Utah an early lead.
“I just put a good swing on it, and it went out to put two runs on the board,” said Davison, a freshman from Torrance, California. “Usually, I’m rounding first when I see the ball go over, but I knew that one was out when I hit it.”
The Utes had 11 hits in the game and led 4-0 before Ole Miss got on the board in the fifth inning.
Davison also homered and drove in five runs Friday in Utah’s 11-9 victory over Southern Illinois in the teams’ NCAA Regional opener.
On Saturday, Lopez struck out 10 in a 7-1, complete-game victory over Ole Miss to set up Sunday’s rematch.
