CEDAR CITY, UTAH - Freshman Nikki Thomas broke IUPUI's single-season strikeout record with four punchouts in game one of a doubleheader against Southern Utah, but the Jaguars missed two banner opportunities dropping a 13-12 decision after holding a 10-run lead and 13-6 in game two after holding a 6-2 lead.
Game One (Box Score)
IUPUI held a 10-run lead against Summit League rival Southern Utah, but the Thunderbirds clawed back to take a 13-12 decision.
The Jaguars started out red-hot scoring five runs in the first inning. Hannah Croucher started the game off with a double. Angela Bartucci singled to put the Jaguars on the board. After junior Leah Prewitt walked and rookie Alicia Brewer singled, Julie Love continued her hot hitting with a bases clearing double. Jessica Lam followed that with a double to put the Jaguars up five.
Love was at it again in the third inning. After Amy Raker walked, she hit her second double of the game to extend IUPUI's lead to 6-1. She scored later on a wild pitch. Croucher drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Prewitt, the reigning Summit League Player of the Week delivered an RBI single.
After Brewer's single put the Jaguars up 10-1, Raker's infield single put IUPUI up 10, but it all went south after that.
Southern Utah chipped its way back with four runs in the bottom half of the inning. In the fourth inning, Darleen Fernandez hit a two-run home run to cut the lead to 11-7. Purcell's double cut the lead to 11-8 in the fifth.
The Jaguars got one back in the top of the sixth. Love singled with one out and Lam's double down the left field line put IUPUI up 12-8.
The long ball got the best of IUPUI in the bottom of the sixth. Fernandez hit her second home run of the game to cut the ball to 12-10. With two outs, Kari Henderson hit a three-run shot to give the Thunderbirds their first lead.
Black picked up the save for Southern Utah getting the Jaguars 1-2-3 in the seventh inning.
Game Two (Box Score)
IUPUI started off hot in game two but lost 13-6.
The Jaguars scored two runs in the second inning. Cherrod Gwaltney and Lam singled with one out. Croucher knocked in Gwaltney with a single and Bartucci knocked in Lam to make it 2-0 Jaguars.
Southern Utah erased the deficit with a two-run home run by Henderson. Bartucci started a two-run rally in the fourth inning with a single to knock in Kelsey Rupert.
Prewitt singled to knock in Bartucci giving IUPUI a 4-2 lead. Croucher capped a two-run rally in the fifth inning with an RBI single. The hit put the Jaguars up 6-2.
IUPUI couldn't hold the lead. Southern Utah answered with six runs in the bottom half of the fifth. Fernandez singled with the bases loaded to make the game 6-4. Richardson reached on a fielding error to make the game 6-5. An RBI-groundout knotted the game at six. Brittany Henderson's two-run double gave the Thunderbirds their first lead of the game.
The Thunderbirds put the game away with five runs in the sixth capped by Henderson's two out, two-run triple.
IUPUI will travel to Carbondale to take on Southern Illinois on Wednesday.
