Bull breaks career wins record in doubleheader sweep of Dartmouth

LOS ANGELES – McKenna Bull broke the BYU career wins record as BYU softball swept Dartmouth in a doubleheader, winning 4-0 and 5-1 on the first day of the UCLA Invitational on Friday.

“We came out flat today,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “It seemed like we were physically and mentally tired and struggled to find energy. We are determined to find a way to keep that from happening in the future. On the positive side, we are a good enough team to overcome that condition and pick up two wins. A win is a win! McKenna Bull and Arissa Paulson both pitched quality games today.”

BYU improves to 21-7 with the wins today against Dartmouth (0-16-1, 0-0 Ivy League). The Cougars extend their win streak to nine games.

Bull broke Paige Affleck’s career wins record at BYU. Her win in the first game was her 92nd career win, surpassing Affleck’s 91 wins. She now holds the BYU career records in complete games, shutouts, saves and strikeouts.

Pitchers Bull and Arissa Paulson combined for 15 strikeouts on the day, each pitching complete-game wins. Alexa Strid led the Cougars at the plate, going 3 for 6 with two runs and three RBI on the day.

Game one

Behind 10 strikeouts from Bull, BYU topped Dartmouth 4-0 in the first game of the day. With this win, she broke the BYU career wins record, notching her 92nd victory. Strid led the team on offense, going 2 for 3 with a solo home run and two runs scored.

The Cougars got going in the second inning. In the top of the second, Bull struck out all three batters, forcing the Big Green to go three up, three down. Then in the bottom frame, Strid hit a solo shot to left field for the first run of the game. With Briielle Breland on first, McKenzie St. Clair hit a single to advance the runner, but a fielding error by Dartmouth gave Breland time to run home. After two innings, BYU led 2-0.

Following a scoreless third inning, the Cougars brought in another run in the bottom of the fourth. Breland notched an RBI when Strid reached home, extending the lead to 3-0.

The final run came in the bottom of the sixth when St. Clair stole second, distracting the infield to allow Caitlyn Larsen Alldredge to steal home. Bull struck out three in the top of the seventh to earn the 4-0 win.

BYU vs. Dartmouth Game 1 Box Score

Game two

After a slow start, the Cougars defeated the Big Green 5-1 in the second game of the doubleheader. Ashley Thompson went 2 for 4 with a three-run home run in the seventh to seal the win. Paulson pitched a complete game, throwing five strikeouts and walking just one.

BYU came out hot in the top of the first, getting runners on second and third, but were unable to capitalize. Both teams were scoreless for the first two innings.

Dartmouth struck first in the bottom of the third off of a double to left center, scoring one run. The Big Green had a slim 1-0 lead after three innings.

In the top of the sixth, Lauren Bell led off with a single to right field. Libby Sugg came in to pinch hit and singled down the right field line to move Bell to third base. In the next at bat, Strid drilled a triple to right field, bringing home both Bell and Sugg to put the Cougars up 2-1. 

To extend the lead, Thompson hit a three-run homer over right field in the top of the seventh. She brought in Ashley Godfrey and Lexi Tarrow with her, pushing the lead to 5-1.  That score would hold as Dartmouth went three up, three down in the bottom of the seventh.

BYU vs. Dartmouth Game 2 Box Score

The UCLA Invitational will continue on Saturday with a doubleheader against No. 15/16 UCLA starting at 12 p.m. PDT. Live stats and audio streaming links will be available on the BYU softball schedule page.

PROVO, Utah – Fresh off of a big win over No. 11/13 Utah on Wednesday, BYU softball heads back on the road to play doubleheaders against Dartmouth and No. 15/16 UCLA in the UCLA Invitational this weekend.

BYU Game Notes

BYU (19-7, 0-0 West Coast Conference) will play a pair against Dartmouth (0-14-1, 0-0 Ivy League) on Friday starting at 12 p.m. PDT. Saturday, the Cougars will face the home team UCLA (21-8, 0-3 Pac-12) in a doubleheader also beginning at 12 p.m. PDT.

Live stats will be available on the BYU softball schedule page. For the matchups against the Bruins, streaming audio will also be available from the UCLA Sports Network.

BYU Storylines

• After defeating No. 11/13 Utah on Wednesday, BYU now has three wins over ranked opponents in 2017. The Cougars also picked up victories over No. 13 Washington and No. 11 Georgia. This weekend, BYU has a chance to pick up a few more wins over a ranked opponent in the doubleheader at No. 15/16 UCLA.
• 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 one win away from breaking Paige Affleck’s 91 career wins, tying the record with the win over Utah. Additionally, she is close to reaching Affleck’s 803.1 career innings pitched. Bull has 789.2 so far.
• Libby Sugg hit a pair of two-run home runs in BYU’s upset over No. 11/13 Utah at Gail Miller Field on Wednesday. The sophomore catcher leads the team in RBI with 29, home runs with seven and in slugging percentage with .750.

Opponents Outlook

Dartmouth (0-14-1, 0-0 Ivy League)

• The Big Green has yet to pick up a win in 2017. They tied the game 5-5 against Maryland.
• This is the third matchup in the series history with BYU, the Cougars undefeated so far. BYU’s last win came in an 8-0 run-rule win back in 2009 in the Capital Classic in Sacramento, California.
   

UCLA (21-8, 0-3 Pac-12)

• The Bruins have picked up big wins so far in 2017, taking down Georgia and LSU on the way to their 21-8 record.
• In 2016, UCLA advanced to the Women’s College World Series, dropping out after losses to LSU and Auburn.
• The Bruins edge the Cougars in the series history, leading 4-1. BYU’s last win came in 2011, a 6-4 victory in the Mayfair Tournament. UCLA won the matchup last season at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, winning 9-4.