SAN DIEGO –  BYU fell to San Diego by a 4-0 margin Friday night as the Toreros’ Cassidy Coleman delivered a no-hitter in the first-ever West Coast Conference softball game.

The Cougars (14-20, 0-1 WCC) faced a well-rested San Diego team (16-16, 1-0 WCC) and it showed as the Toreros rode the arm of their career strikeouts leader for the third no-hitter in school history. Coleman struck out 13 of 21 batters faced, a season high, on the way to her seventh win of the season.

San Diego scored three runs in the bottom of the opening frame to take early control and added another run in the third inning for the final tally. Three BYU pitchers held the Toreros to just seven hits while BYU’s defense forced San Diego to leave nine runners on base. Cougar starter McKenna Bull (6-9) had five strikeouts over three innings but took the loss.

Despite the strong performance by Coleman, four Cougars found ways to reach base to try and ignite some offense. BYU catcher Sydney Broderick was hit by a pitch, centerfielder Coco Tauali’i and third baseman Ashlee Robinson each gained access to the base paths on walks and right fielder Gordy Bravo used her hustle to reach first after a striking out on a wild pitch. 

Robinson drew a base on balls in the third inning with one out, but Coleman came back to strike out shortstop Lauren Bell and Broderick to strand Robinson on base. Tauali’i walked with two outs in the fifth inning to try and get a Cougar rally going but another strikeout by Coleman retired the side.

The sixth inning proved to be the most intriguing for BYU. With one out, Broderick was hit by Coleman to advance to first, where she remained when Bravo came to the plate with two outs. Swinging at a third strike that went wild, Bravo hurried to first while Broderick advanced toward second. The San Diego catcher's throw to second went into center field but the Toreros were able to recover and throw Broderick out as she attempted to advance to third.

BYU and San Diego will resume the series with a twin bill Saturday starting at noon PT.

PROVO, Utah – BYU softball will host Utah State Wednesday at 4 p.m. MDT at Gail Miller Field before beginning conference play at San Diego on Friday at 5 p.m. PDT.

BYU (13-19, 0-0 WCC)
BYU made program history coming back from a 10-0 deficit in the first game Saturday against Idaho State. The Cougars scored 11 unanswered runs, led by Sydney Broderick and McKenzie St. Clair, to defeat the Bengals. On Tuesday, they also defeated their second top-five program (No. 3 Oregon) of the year after only winning two top-five matchups prior to this season.

The Cougars had five home runs against Idaho State to give them 25 on the year. Broderick hit the first two home runs of her career, while Katie Manuma added two and Carly Duckworth had one.

McKenna Bull and Broderick swept the West Coast Conference weekly awards for their strong performances. Bull also was named WCC Player of the Week by College Sports Madness and was among the top performers recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Utah State (13-17, 3-3 MWC)
After opening Mountain West play with a home sweep of Colorado State to cap off an eight-game winning streak, Utah State lost four consecutive contests on the road to SUU Tuesday and Fresno State over the weekend.

Freshman Victoria Saucedo leads the Aggies from the plate in almost every offensive category with a .344 batting average, five doubles, four home runs, 18 runs and 16 RBIs. Junior Hailey Froton has four home runs and 16 RBIs of her own, while Paxton Provost has three home runs and 16 RBIs.

Sophomore Noelle Johnson is the ace in the circle for Utah State with a 12-10 record, a 2.57 ERA and 149 strikeouts. She has made appearances in 26 of Utah State’s 30 games this season.

San Diego (15-16, 0-0 WCC)
BYU and San Diego will open up the inaugural softball season in the WCC on Friday at the USD Softball Complex. San Diego will be well rested after only playing one game against Cal State Northridge on Wednesday last week, losing 4-2 in a close contest.

Freshman Olivia Sandusky leads the Toreros with a .386 batting average and 17 RBIs. Sophomore Mary Grabowski bats .302 and leads the team with 19 RBIs and four home runs.

Seniors Cassidy Coleman and Jenny Lahitte split time in the circle for San Diego. Lahitte has a 7-7 record with a 2.78 ERA and 98 strikeouts. Coleman has gone 6-8 with a 2.98 ERA and 114 strikeouts. As a team, they lead the WCC with a 2.88 ERA and 224 strikeouts.