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Cougars Start NCAAs With Shutout
Christie Zinanti got her 20th win of the season with the Mustang shutout.
May 18, 2007 PROVO, Utah - BYU started the 2007 NCAA Tournament in Provo, Utah, with a 9-0 shutout against the Cal Poly Mustangs Thursday afternoon at Miller Park, giving Coach Gordon Eakin his 200th career win. "Seems like I just started yesterday," Eakin said. "It feels really good. I'll take 200 more." Christie Zinanti got her 20th win of the season with the Mustang shutout. Zinanti gave up four hits in five innings, facing 22 batters. "My team helped me out," Zinanti said. "I love pitching with runs behind me." The team backed its pitcher up with a 14-hit performance, including two solo home runs. Lead-off batter Cortney Nix-Clark got the Cougars started in the top of the first inning with a solo homerun, the second time this season she has led off a game with a deep shot. BYU rallied after the bomb, scoring a total of six runs off of five hits in the first inning. Andrea Ramirez doubled down the left field line to bring in two RBI. With two outs in the first Monica Gonzales brought in runners from first and second when she doubled down the left field line. Cal Poly got its first hit in the bottom of the third inning when Melissa Pura singled to right field followed by another single from Sarah Iwata. Pura was called out on runner interference, and Iwata was left on base. BYU continued to put runs on the board while Cal Poly remained scoreless. Dani Urincho-Snow hit a solo homerun in the third inning to bring the Cougar lead to 7-0 after the third and continue BYU's record-setting homerun year with the team's 86th. Four singles in the fourth inning brought in two more Cougar runs. Ramirez claimed two additional RBI when she brought in Jennifer Whitely and Jodi Norton with a single to right field. Cal Poly remained scoreless through the fourth inning. In the top of the fifth inning BYU got two more singles, but both runners were left on base. In the bottom of the fifth Pura got her second hit of the day and Cal Poly's fourth, but Krysten Cary hit into a double play to end the game after five innings. BYU continues tournament play Friday at 12 p.m. against No. 7 Arizona State, 2-1 winners over Southern Utah in the early game Thursday.. "ASU is ranked seventh, and they deserve that ranking," Eakin said. "We have to be aggressive and stay aggressive. That is what we do. We'll live and die by being aggressive tomorrow."
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