By Noah Dunlap
Spirits were high as the BYU lady Cougars softball team took the field Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006. Earlier in the day they had come from behind to topple Utah State 10-7 thanks to a seven-run rally. But the high spirits weren''t enough to beat UVSC, losing 3-1.
The opponent for the evening was cross town rival UVSC. Both teams started out strong, scoring runs in the first inning - UVSC scored two runs and BYU one.
BYU pitching had a rough time in the first inning and a little in the second, when one UVSC player was beaned in the head. Later, BYU pitching and great defense clamped down on UVSC.
A highlight of this great defense was a spectacular grab by BYU infielder Angie Quiocho, which prevented the start of a UVSC rally. BYU held UVSC scoreless after the first until the final inning, when they allowed a towering home run.
UVSC pitching and defense matched that of BYU throughout the course of the game. Fantastic plays reminiscent of Hollywood''s 'A league of Their Own' took place with consistency.
The real star on the UVSC side of things was Ashley Forsberg their pitcher. At the start of the seventh and final inning, BYU Daniela Urincho blasted a line-drive right at Forsberg. With no time to react, Forsberg was hit squarely on her arm and chest. She threw a few practice pitches to see if she could continue. And continue she did, shutting down the BYU offense to close out the victory.
True blue fan Stan Snow said, 'The team has great chemistry and the ingredients for a great year next year.'
Drew Hopkins, a BYU student majoring in Athletic Training from Cincinnati, Ohio, who was sitting not too far from Snow, added what he felt was important.
'We are going to destroy Utah,' he said.
For the tournament BYU beat Dixie in a shutout, tied Idaho State at nine a piece, beat USU and lost to UVSC.
Assistant coach Mindy Hanson said, 'We played OK. It was a good weekend, but we left ourselves with a lot of room for improvement.'