LAS VEGAS – Pitcher McKenna Bull’s one-hit shutout paced BYU softball to a split on day three of the Wilson/DeMarini Desert Classic Saturday at UNLV.

“It was a good tournament for us and a good weekend for us,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “It’s not easy to go 4-1 so I’m proud of them for their effort.”

The sophomore Bull (6-1) picked up her fourth victory of the tournament, giving up only one hit and striking out three in a 9-0 run-rule win over UTEP (2-6) in the early game. The Cougars (6-4) fell to No. 25 Cal State Fullerton (6-2) 11-0 in five innings in the second game.

Sophomore Lauren Bell led BYU with four RBI on the day while hitting 2-for-4 with a double. Freshman Alexa Strid and junior Gordy Bravo each went 2-for-4 with two RBI, which included a double by Bravo, who extended her hitting streak to eight games.

Sophomore Mercedes O’Connor also chipped in with an RBI on a base hit, going 1-for-3 on the day, while junior Coco Tauali’i collected a team high in hits with a 3-for-4 day at the plate.

Game One

BYU took an early lead, busting out five runs in the second inning. Strid singled through the left side, scoring Broderick. Two batters later Bravo doubled to right field, hitting the ball over the head of the outfielder for two RBI. Bell and O’Connor each then followed with a base-hit RBI to lead 5-0.

In the third inning Strid hit a single to center field, scoring St. Clair. Bell later cashed in again, driving in three RBI on a bases-clearing double to left field for the 9-0 score.

BYU played textbook softball while not recording an error and holding on for the run-rule win for its fourth victory of the weekend.

“McKenna pitched well and we played well,” Eakin said of the first game. “We had timely hits and played good defense.”

Box Score—BYU vs. UTEP

Game Two

The second game of the day began with the Cougars getting two aboard, but grounding out to leave two on base in the first.

The Titans produced eight runs in the bottom of the first, aided in part by a two-out grand slam by Missy Taukeiaho. Two innings later Cal State Fullerton added two more to the board with Taukeiaho’s second home run and an RBI-single to center by Kylie Padilla. The Titans upped the score to 11-0 in the fourth.

In the top of the fifth, BYU threatened on the bases as Ashley Godfrey singled on a bunt and Brittany Call also reached base on a hit to the shortstop.

“This game was all about pitching,” Eakin said. “If you give up eight runs in the first, it’s pretty hard to survive that. We need the other pitchers on our staff to step up so we don’t have to just rely on McKenna. We played four solid games and just didn’t have the pitching in the second.”

The Cougars head down to Southern California for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Thursday through Saturday. The Cougars will face UC Santa Barbara, Maryland, Texas A&M, Indiana and Oregon State.

Box Score—BYU vs. Cal State Fullerton

PROVO, Utah – For its second tournament of the season, BYU softball will head down to Las Vegas to compete in the Wilson/DeMarini Desert Classic Thursday through Saturday at UNLV's Eller Media Stadium.

The Cougars (2-3) look to improve upon their showing in last week's Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona. BYU came away with two wins–a walkoff season-opening victory over Virginia and a 2-0 defensive performance against New Mexico.

Sophomore catcher Sydney Broderick had her first-career multi-home run game in the 9-8 setback to San Jose State. She hit two home runs and collected four RBI. Senior outfielder Lacey Hofstedt is currently batting .429 with a five-game hitting streak. From the circle sophomore pitcher McKenna Bull came away from the tournament with a 2-1 record while recording a 3.10 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.

The schedule with links to live stats is available on the BYU softball schedule page. Scores and results will be available daily.

HAWAI’I (Thurs. 4:30 p.m. PST)

Hawai’i entered the 2015 season with a 3-2 start at the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic in Honolulu. Hawai’i picked up a win over No. 25 DePaul and two victories over Saint Mary’s. Leading the team in hitting is Leisha Li`ili`i (.333 avg., 2 RBI, .429 OBP). Pitcher Kanani Aina Cabrales has a 2-0 record with a 2.39 ERA while allowing opposing hitters a .231 batting average.

NORTHWESTERN (Fri. 11:15 a.m. PST)

After starting the season with wins over North Carolina and UC Santa Barbara, Northwestern fell in its final three contests of the Kajikawa Classic. The Wildcats dropped close games to Texas and California, 5-4 and 5-2, respectively. Andrea DiPrima (.364 avg., 1 HR, 5 RBI, .727 slugging pct., .611 OBP) and Andrea Filler (.333 avg., 1 HR, 5 RBI, .667 slugging pct.) lead the team at the plate this season. From the circle Amy Letourneau is 1-2 with a 4.75 ERA while allowing a .219 opponent batting average. Northwestern last faced BYU in the NCAA regional tournament in 2014, eliminating the Cougars from the postseason.

UNLV (Fri. 3:45 p.m. PST)

Former Mountain West Conference foe UNLV brings a 3-2 record into the second week of the season. The Rebels  picked up wins over Louisville, UC Davis and CSU Bakersfield while falling to Washington and Minnesota. 

UTEP (Sat. 9 a.m. PST)

Following an 0-5 start, UTEP looks to turn its season around in Las Vegas. The Miners dropped one-run games to San Diego, Portland State and UC Santa Barbara while falling to Virginia and Stanford each in five innings. The team is led by Tahla Wade (.444 avg., .500 slugging pct., 2 stolen bases), Erica Chasco (.444 avg., .545 OBP) and Kiki Pepi (.429 avg., .579 OBP). 

Cal STATE FULLERTON (Sat. 11:15 a.m. PST)

In 2015 Cal State Fullerton began 4-1 with wins over Purdue, Idaho State, No. 21 Notre Dame and Northwestern State with its lone loss coming in its second game against the Irish. The Titans are led by Missy Taukeiaho (.563 avg., 3 HR, 4 RBI) and Courtney Rodriguez (.467 avg., 7 RBI). Jasmine Antunez (1-1, 4.22 ERA, 6 SO), Chris Washington (1-0, 5.14ERA, 5 SO) and Desiree Ybarra (2-0, 7.71ERA, 6 SO) have all split time from the circle so far this season. Cal State Fullerton broke into the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll on Feb. 10 at No. 25 in the nation.