Utah Falls To Washington, Will Play Elimination Game Same Day
Jun 2, 2023, 2:43 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY – After a weather delay pushed their first game of the World Series to Friday morning, the Utes fell to Washington and now have to play an elimination game the same day.
The Utes have been a force in postseason but were a tad sluggish in their first game of the day, only pushing one runner through at the top of the second inning. UW walked away with the win, 4-1 after pushing two runs through the second inning, one through the fourth, and one final one through the sixth.
Utah will now have to face off with Oklahoma State tonight, just hours after wrapping up with Washington due to the weather delay that pushed their first game to this morning. The game against the Cowboys will take place at 7:30 p.m. MT and can be viewed on ESPN.
That's all she wrote, #Utes will play elimination game tonight at 7:30 p.m. MT against Oklahoma State after falling to the Huskies, 4-1.#GoUtes #UteProud
— Michelle Bodkin (@BodkinKSLsports) June 2, 2023
Coach Hogue On Deck
Utah head coach Amy Hogue was on hand after the Utes’ loss to Washington and admitted the Utes didn’t play how they hoped they would but was incredibly proud of the fight they gave, and the leadership pitcher Mariah Lopez showed.
Utes fall in their WCWS opener.
They'll play Oklahoma State at 7:30 p.m. MT today in an elimination game.#GoUtes /// #SOTL /// #WCWS pic.twitter.com/0OhcoAsFpj
— Utah Softball (@Utah_Softball) June 2, 2023
“Although we didn’t play the way we wanted to today, they showed up and fought their guts out,” Hogue said of her team. “This one sitting next to me was the leader of that- Mariah, I’m really proud of what she did in the circle today.”
While the weather delay from the night before was not ideal, coach Hogue doesn’t believe it was responsible for how Utah played their first game against Washington. However, she did say she might have a different opinion depending on how their elimination game goes later tonight.
“I think tonight I might have a little different answer for you,” Hogue said. “It’s going to be a long day for us, but as far as this first game, no.”
Coach Hogue followed that up by acknowledging her team is in for a tough go playing two games in a matter of hours of each other, but feels like they are tough, and built to handle adversity.
“Yeah, that’s going to be tough,” Hogue said. “Like these guys said, they’re tough and the last time we got beat, we killed somebody. I think that they’re- you know, the pressure is off if they felt any pressure today. It’s off. Now they are playing for a day off and some more fun together. They think that is worth it.”
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
