PROVO, Utah – Senior Lauren Bell helped No. 25 BYU softball sweep its doubleheader home opener against Maine 8-0 and then 10-4 Wednesday night at Gail Miller Field.

“It was a good home opener for us,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “The team played with energy and made nice adjustments through both games. It was a good team effort.”

Bell led BYU (16-7, 0-0 West Coast Conference) on the night, hitting 3 for 4 while adding three runs and three RBI. Additionally, Briielle Breland went 3 for 5 and chipped in three RBI, and Ashley Thompson ended the evening going 3 for 6 with three runs and three RBI.

Game one

BYU out-hit Maine (2-13, 0-0 American East) 7-2 in the first game of the doubleheader en route to an 8-0 run-ruled victory in five innings. McKenna Bull collected the win with a strong start in the game, throwing four strikeouts in the first two innings while ending the game with nine.

Alexa Strid scored from second base on Breland’s single to give BYU its first run of the game in the bottom of the second. Bell then scored two runs on a single to extend the lead. Lexi Tarrow followed with a hit, advancing to second from an error while scoring the Cougars another run to make it 4-0 after two innings.

Strid kept the scoring trend going in the third, hitting her second home run of the season to score two runs. Breland then scored two more runs with the first home run of her BYU career, giving the Cougars an 8-0 advantage.

The Black Bears’ Meghan Royle doubled to left field in the top of the fifth, but Maine couldn’t capitalize to extend the game as BYU won 8-0 after five innings.

BYU vs. Maine Game One Box Score

Game two

Six runs in the sixth inning helped propel BYU to a 10-4 win against Maine in the second game of the doubleheader.

The first two innings were fairly quiet for both teams until Bell picked up a double-play throwing to Thompson at first to bring up the bottom of the second.  

Rylee Jensen later nailed a solo shot past centerfield, her second home run of the year, to put the Cougars up 1-0 in the third.

Caitlyn Larsen Alldredge brought in a run in the fourth inning after hitting a ball in deep left field. BYU then loaded up the bases with Bell up to bat. One more run scored after her hit to increase the advantage to 4-0. Tarrow then brought home two additional runs with a hit to centerfield, increasing the lead to 6-0. Libby Sugg was next at bat, scoring Tarrow to make it 7-0 for the final run of the inning.

Maine’s Royle homered over left field to put her team on the board for the first time in the fifth, down 7-1. The Black Bears followed that up with a two-run double to bring them within four. Another run was scored with the next player at bat, making the score 7-4.

Thompson hit a triple in the sixth to extend the Cougars’ lead back to five at 9-4. She scored the next run on a wild pitch to make it 10-4 heading into the seventh.

BYU held Maine scoreless in the final inning, winning the game 10-4 and taking the two-game series.

BYU vs. Maine Game Two Box Score

The Cougars next host Wagner in a doubleheader Thursday, March 16, beginning at 4 p.m. MDT.

PROVO, Utah – After five weeks on the road, No. 25 BYU softball will host its first home games this week with doubleheaders against Maine and Wagner on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

BYU Game Notes

The Cougars (14-7, 0-0 West Coast Conference) will play Maine (2-7, 0-0 American East) in a doubleheader on Wednesday starting a 4 p.m. MDT. The next day, BYU is back at it with a pair of games against Wagner (1-10, 0-0 Northeast Conference), also starting at 4 p.m. MDT.

The games against the Black Bears will be televised live on BYUtv, while the doubleheader on Thursday against the Seahawks will be on theW.tv. Live stats will be available for both days on the BYU softball schedule page. Fans with tickets to the men's basketball NIT game against UT Arlington at 9 p.m. MDT can get into the softball games on Wednesday for free.

BYU Storylines

• The Cougars went 3-1 at the Fresno State Invitational last week. BYU won its first extra-inning game in an eight-inning thriller at Fresno State. That game saw career highs in hits from both Lauren Bell (4) and Lexi Tarrow (3).
• BYU is still atNo. 25 in this week’s USA Today/NFCA Coaches Top 25. The Cougars have been ranked as high as No. 23, reached back in week 3. This year’s team has been ranked in four weeks of the season, tying the 2010 team for most weeks ranked in a season. They are receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25.
• For the fourth time this season, BYU softball won WCC Pitcher of the Week, this time with freshman Arissa Paulson earning the nod. She picked up her first career win against Sacramento State on Friday, allowing just one run and five hits in the 7-1 victory. As a team, the Cougars have taken at least one of the weekly awards every week so far in 2017, including sweeps of both player and pitcher ofthe week in weeks two and four.
• With the career records for complete games, shutouts, saves and strikeouts under her belt, McKenna Bull still has a few career marks to reach. She is four wins away from tying Paige Affleck’s 91 career wins. Additionally, she is close to reaching Affleck’s 803.1 career innings pitched. Bull has 768.2 so far. At the plate, Ashley Thompson is moving up career lists herself, currently fifthin stolen bases (38) and thirdin walks (108).

Opponents Outlook

Maine (2-7, 0-0 American East)

• Head coach Angie Churchill is in her second season after leading Maine to a 20-29 record in 2016.
• Before the games on Wednesday, the Black Bears will play a doubleheader at Utah Valley.
• BYU holds the series advantage, winning all three games played between the two programs. The last two were won at the USF Under Armour Showcase in 2013 in Tampa, Florida in a doubleheader matchup.
   

Wagner (1-10, 0-0 Northeast Conference)

• Just like Maine, Wagner’s head coach Mike Coutts is also in his second season.
• The Seahawks will play a pair at Utah Valley on Wednesday before the matchup with the Cougars on Thursday.
• BYU has played Wagner just once before, winning the game 10-0 in five innings back in 2008 at the Tennessee Classic.