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khaner | Posted: 18 Mar 2016 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
khaner

Sugg shines in upset of No. 24 Fresno State, BYU falls to SDSU

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SAN DIEGO – Freshman Libby Sugg’s three RBI led BYU softball to a 6-3 win over No. 24 Fresno State, splitting the doubleheader at the San Diego Classic II on Friday.

"Against Fresno State we had some cluth hitting that overcame some defensive miscues," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "It was a nice win for our team. Our hitting didn't carry over to the second game against San Diego State, and our defense was poor again. That combination couldn't get it done in game two. Even though we haven't been putting it all together consistently, we are beating some very good teams. We are working hard to put it all together as we approach conference play."

After BYU (17-12) defeated Fresno State (16-7-1), San Diego State (15-10) pulled out the 3-2 win over the Cougars in the second game of the twinbill. The win over the Bulldogs was the Cougars’ second top-25 upset of the season, the first coming against No. 15 Arizona. BYU totaled 20 hits on the day with eight runs. Junior pitcher McKenna Bull had seven strikeouts.

Game one

BYU completed its second upset of the season, defeating No. 24 Fresno State 6-3 behind three RBI from freshman Sugg. Bull started from the circle, throwing five strikeouts and four walks, improving her record to 12-8 on the season.

After one scoreless inning, BYU got on the board in the bottom of the second. McKenzie St. Clair hit a double to right field, bringing in Alexa Strid for the first run of the game.

The Cougars extended their lead in the third inning, scoring two more runs. After Lauren Bell hit a lead-off triple, Sigg hit a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing Bell to run home. Another triple from Madison Merrell put her in scoring position when Strid hit a left-field single. Merrell scored the second run of the inning, putting BYU up 3-0 over Fresno State.

The fourth inning was a scoring barrage on both sides. The Bulldogs scored three runs in the top of the inning to tie the game 3-3. With two outs, the Cougars responded in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of runs scored of off Sugg’s double down the left field line, giving them back the lead, 5-3.

BYU sealed the win with another run in the bottom of the sixth. Ashley Thompson doubled to right field, bringing in Bell to push the lead to 6-3, which would be the final score.

BOX SCORE: BYU vs. No. 24 Fresno State

Game two

BYU fell 3-2 to San Diego State despite taking an early lead. The Cougars’ one error ended up being key as it gave the Aztecs an unearned run. Thompson and Sugg led the team with an RBI each while Gordy Bravo scored both of BYU’s runs in the loss. Olivia Sanchez and Bull split pitching time, combining for just three strikeouts.

For the second game in a row, BYU struck first, scoring one run in the top of the third after two scoreless innings. Thompson singled up the middle to bring in Gordy Bravo, putting the Cougars up 1-0 over the Aztecs.

San Diego State answered back in the bottom of the fourth, scoring two runs. The first was off of a solo home run and the second was due to an error by BYU.

In the top of the fifth, Bravo reached home plate for the second time in the game. Thompson’s sacrifice bunt put her in position to score and Sugg’s ground out to second base gave Bravo enough time to run home, tying the game 2-2.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, an Aztec batter was walked, bringing in a run and giving them back the lead, 3-2. The Cougars were unable to rally in the top of the seventh, resulting in a loss for BYU.

BOX SCORE: BYU vs. San Diego State

BYU will finish the San Diego Classic II against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. PDT. Live stats will be available on the BYU schedule page.

 

 
khaner | Posted: 16 Mar 2016 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
khaner

Cougars take momentum to San Diego this weekend

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PROVO, Utah – After defeating Utah on Tuesday, BYU softball will travel to San Diego to participate in the San Diego Classic II from Thursday to Saturday.

This is the last tournament of the season for BYU. The best tournament so far for the Cougars was the DeMarini Classic in Las Vegas in February where they finished 4-1. On the year, BYU boasts a win against then-No.15 Arizona back on March 3 along with four run-rule wins. The Cougars are fresh off of a 5-4 win against the Utes in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.

BYU game notes

Harvard | Thursday, March 17, 10:30 a.m. PDT
Harvard softball has played just 14 games so far this season with an 8-6 record. On Tuesday, Harvard split two games, winning 6-5 over Fairleigh Dickinson. In 2015, the Crimson finished with a 23-21 record, including a 13-7 mark in conference play. This is the first meeting between BYU and Harvard in softball.

Long Beach State | Thursday, March 17, 1 p.m. PDT
The 49ers have tallied a 15-9 record so far in 2016. In five games, Long Beach State has won the game due to the mercy rule. Back in 2015, the 49ers finished with a 28-24 record, going 15-6 in the Big West Conference. BYU has a 3-3 overall record against Long Beach State, the Cougars taking the 2-1 win in 2015.

No. 22/24 Fresno State | Friday, March 18, 4:30 p.m. PDT
In 2016, the Bulldogs have compiled a 15-6-1 record, including two wins against top-25 teams and a tie against then-No. 22 Oregon State. Fresno State is currently ranked No. 22 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll. BYU last faced Fresno State in the 2015 NCAA tournament, resulting in a 8-7 win for the Cougars.

San Diego State | Friday, March 18, 7 p.m. PDT
The 13-9 San Diego State Aztecs are fresh off of a 1-2 weekend, including two games that got cancelled. On the season, BYU's former Mountain West Conference foe has two wins against top-25 teams Cal and Texas A&M. SDSU advanced to the NCAA Los Angeles Regional in 2015. Since the Cougars left the MWC, they have a 1-3 record against the Aztecs, the last win coming in 2015 with a 3-1 decision.

UC Santa Barbara | Saturday, March 19, 11:30 a.m. PDT
After 23 games, the Gauchos are 13-10 in 2016, currently on a two-game losing streak. They have run-ruled three teams this season. Their best streak came earlier in March when they won four games in a row. BYU last beat UC Santa Barbara in 2015 with a 16-4 win.

Live stats will be available for all five games on the BYU schedule page