Utah Softball Ends Their NFCA Leadoff Classic Slate with a Win

The final day of the Utes NFCA Leadoff Classic slate is in the books and although the Utes didn't escape undefeated, they made sure to leave Clearwater, Florida with only one loss under their belts. 

At first pitch, it was 66 and partly cloudy, a far cry from the 78 and sunny weather of day two. Mariah Lopez took the mound for her third start of the opening weekend hot off of a dominant performance against Notre Dame, where she pitched 4 shutout innings. 

The Iowa Hawkeyes came into the matchup with the same record as the Utes (3-1) and came out with 2 losses to their name as Utah emerged victorious, winning 3-1. 

The Utes opened the scoring in the bottom of the second after a center-field single by Kendall Lundberg drove in Abby Dayton. Utah scored again in the fourth after Haley Denning reached base on a fielder's choice situation, leading to an error by the Iowa pitcher which Dayton used to reach home plate, extending the lead to 2 runs. 

Iowa brought the score back within one after a Utah error saw a Hawkeye cross home plate however, the gap was quickly remedied after a single up the middle by Denning drove Hailee White home in the bottom of the sixth. 

Mariah Lopez got her second win on the mound, and Sarah Ladd earned her first save of the season. 

With a successful opening weekend squared away, the Utes will make the trip down to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to participate in the Puerto Vallarta Challenge for a five-game slate. Opening the weekend with a doubleheader, Utah will face Auburn and South Carolina on February, 15th.