Black Knights Drop Contest to Southern Utah

Sunday, February 20

San Diego, CA

1 p.m. EST

Army West Point

1-4

Southern Utah University

1-9

Southern Utah

Army West Point

Black Knights Drop Contest to Southern Utah

February 20, 2022 | Softball

Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif. --- Army West Point Softball (1-4) battled Southern Utah University (1-9), on Sunday afternoon, but ultimately fell 5-1 to the Thunderbirds 5-1.

Jolie Duong and Madi Gilmore had a strong day at the plate for the Black Knights going 2-for-3 and 2-for-4, respectively. Duong recorded the lone run for the Black Knights and drew a walk. Leila Hurst finished the game with one RBI and one single. Olivia Farris (0-2) was in the circle for Army and finished with five strikeouts in 4.0 IP for the team.

How It Happened

Southern Utah made the first strike scoring two runs off a double for an early 2-0 lead over Army. Farris helped the Black Knights get to the batter's box by striking out the last batter for the third out. Duong helped get the momentum going in the bottom of the first with a single up the middle. Gilmore followed with a single to right to move her teammate to third, setting Hurst up to bring Duong home. Army ended the inning with one run of three hits to trail 2-1 to Southern Utah.

In the top of the second, the Black Knights retired the side and immediately went back to work at the plate. Mikayla Klepfer hit a leadoff single to get things going but Army was unable to capitalize stranding a runner on base. The Thunderbirds pushed one run in each of the next two innings to go up 4-1 over Army.

Parker Llantero entered the circle in the top of the fifth and sent the next three batters back to the dugout. Brook Mitchell was first up for the Black Knights and fired off a single to left field. Unfortunately, Army could not get the bats going leaving Mitchell on base. Southern Utah gave Army trouble in the top of the sixth scoring another run to up its lead to 5-1. Llantero helped Army escape the frame with a strikeout and set up the Black Knights for a fly ball to catch.

In the bottom of the seventh, Grace Snyder came in as pinch hitter with two outs on the board. Snyder got the bats going by ripping a double to left field. Michaela Capiotto took to the batter's box as a pinch hitter and hit a single through the left side to move Snyder to third. Army could not keep the bats hot and left the two Black Knights on base.

Army got the job done on defense in the top of the seventh by keeping Southern Utah off the board. Duong drew a walk to get a last-minute push started for Army. Kendall Powell replaced the senior as a pinch runner. Kayla Edwards was able to move Powell to second and reach first off a fielder's choice. Gilmore was grounded out but moved her teammates into scoring position. Army was unable to make the last second push falling 5-1 to Southern Utah.

Coach's Corner
"We spotted our opponents some runs and I think put our hitters in a pressure situation and we did not deliver. We have a lot to do this week at practice to be ready for some very tough competition this week. On a bright note, pinch hits by Grace Snyder and plebe Michaela Capicotto showed some gutsy performances, and we'll need more of that in the future." - head coach Cheryl Milligan

Up Next
The Black Knights travel to Raliegh, NC for the Duke Invitational on Feb. 25-27 to take on #14 Duke, #19 Michigan and Northern Kentucky.

Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point softball, follow the Black Knights on Twitter @ArmyWP_Softball, on Instagram @armywp_softball, and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.