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SALT LAKE CITY — Julia Jimenez didn't want the season to end.
A day after host Utah dropped the first of a three-game series against San Diego State in the super regionals of the NCAA Tournament, Jimenez stepped up to the plate with two outs and bases loaded in the top of the fourth inning (Utah was the designated visiting team in Game 2). The Utes led 3-1, but the Aztecs weren't going to go down easy.
But the Utes had Jimenez on their side.
With two strikes and the pressure building in the moment, Jimenez saw the pitch she wanted. When she connected, the sound of the ball hitting the bat told the story before the ball officially landed over the left center wall and the grand slam was confirmed.
The home run strike to clear the bases was Jimenez's 10th of the season, and arguably the best of the season in an elimination game for the Utes. It was a hit that ultimately changed the moment for Utah and helped force a Game 3 on Sunday (12 p.m. MDT) with a 10-1 win to even the series.
"I was not expecting that whatsoever, because I swung and whiffed at two change-ups, but I just told myself that you are going to get a good pitch here and just slowing it down for me was one of my biggest things." Jimenez said. "I need to breathe when I am up there. I just told myself you are not striking out up there. Whatever is going to happen, you're not striking out. I saw it, put my bat on the ball, and it went."
And though Jimenez's strike was the convincing blow to end San Diego State's chances on Saturday, Utah padded the score in the top of the fifth inning when Shelbi Ortiz bombed her own three-run home run to right field to give the Utes a 10-1 lead.
GRAND SLAM 💥@Utah_Softball takes a commanding lead over the Aztecs 😳 pic.twitter.com/gSD5h7JVIz
— ESPN (@espn) May 27, 2023
All that was left for Utah was three outs in the bottom of the fifth inning and the Utes run-ruled the unseeded Aztecs.
Sarah Ladd, who replaced starting pitcher Mariah Lopez, wasted no time and retired three batters in four at-bats to end the game early that was previously delayed 30 minutes due to a lightning delay. Lopez, who pitched a complete game on Friday, started the first four innings of the game before Utah had the decisive lead.
By the end of the fourth inning, Lopez had retired 10 of San Diego State's last 11 batters and held the Aztecs to .250 batting with only four hits allowed. It was Lopez's 22nd win of the season.
"She doesn't need rest," Utes head coach Amy Hogue said of her ace. "She wants the ball; she is hungry for it. It was nice to get Sarah in there because there is a lot of nerves there, and it was a chance to get some nerves out because we are going to need all of our arms to get through this thing tomorrow. It was good to get her that experience out there and she did great."
The Utes wasted little time putting runs on the board in Game 2 after Aliya Belarde singled to shortstop, and then Ellessa Bonstrom hit a two-run home run to right center to kick off the scoring. The Utes added to the score in the second inning on a double from Ortiz that sent Haley Denning home from second base and added to the lead.
San Diego State's only score of the day came in the bottom of the first inning when Bella Espinoza singled to third base, Cali Decker singled down the left field line, and then Makena Brocki singled up the middle to send Espinoza home for the early score. But it was the most the Aztecs could get from its offense on Saturday.
"It was a tough day for the Aztecs," head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz said. "There's really not any other way of saying it. Right from the beginning of the game they were swinging it and putting the pressure on. Credit goes to them; it is going to be a dog fight. ... For us, we have to flush it and move on, and that is the best we can do. There are too many things to really try to get into the weeds of."
The Utes now turn their attention to Sunday's rubber match against the Aztecs for a chance at a trip to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, where the top eight teams from around the country compete for a national championship.
"I like that after two games we have seen all of their pitchers and they haven't seen ours," Hogue said. "I think that tomorrow will be a continuation of what the chess match is going to look like. I have an idea of who they are going to throw because she beat us the first day, but I think there is so much strategy in it, especially when you are in a series and on Day 3. ... There will be some homework tonight, so I am glad we ended a little earlier so we can get studying."
