LOS ANGELES – Strong pitching led No. 22/23 BYU softball to a doubleheader win at Loyola Marymount on Saturday, 5-1 and 2-0, earning their first series sweep of West Coast Conference play.

“Our pitching and defense gave us two quality wins today and the series sweep," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "It was a great way to start conference play."

BYU (27-10, 3-0 WCC) scored seven runs on nine hits today. On the day, LMU (14-25, 0-3 WCC) out-hit BYU 10-9.

Arissa Paulson and McKenna Bull both pitched complete-game wins for the Cougars. They combined for 13 strikeouts and just one run. Rylee Jensen led the offense with 3 for 5 hitting, totaling one RBI and one run.

Game one

Despite equaling LMU in hits with three, BYU took the first game 5-1. Paulson pitched the complete game for the Cougars, throwing a career-high eight strikeouts while allowing just one run on three hits. Jensen, Ashley Thompson and Brooke Vander Heide notched the three BYU hits in the win.

The Lions took an early 1-0 lead after the first inning. They scored on a single up the middle with a runner on third.

The Cougars got on the board in the top of the second, scoring three runs. The first was scored on an infield single by Vander Heide, giving Thompson time to hurry home from third. With the bases loaded, both Lauren Bell and Lexi Tarrow were walked, bringing in two runs. After two innings, BYU was up 3-1.

In the top of the third, the Cougars brought in another run. Thompson led off with a double to right field. A ground out from Caitlyn Larsen Alldredge advanced Thompson home, pushing the lead to 4-1.

After two scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth, BYU scored another run in the top of the sixth. With Briielle Breland on third, Jensen hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring in the run, making it 5-1.

The score would hold through the remaining frames, giving the Cougars the 5-1 win.

BYU at LMU Box Score Game One

Game two

Bull pitched BYU to another shutout win, taking the game 2-0 to sweep the series. She threw five strikeouts with just one walk. Alexa Strid went 2 for 3 with one RBI on the day, while Jensen went 2 for 4 with one run.

In the top of the first, BYU got on board. With the bases loaded, Alldredge hit a fly ball to centerfield, giving the runners time to tag up and reach the next base, including Jensen running home from third. The Cougars led 1-0 after the first.

Following scoreless second and third innings, BYU brought in another run in the top of the fourth. Leading off, Thompson was walked. Facing a full count and two outs, Strid nailed a single to centerfield, scoring Thompson from second base to push the lead to 2-0.

The Lions threatened to score in the bottom of the sixth and seventh, getting runners on first and second in both frames. However, they were left stranded after Bull struck out one and forced another to ground out.

BYU at LMU Box Score Game Two

The Cougars’ road trip continues on Tuesday as they travel to Cedar City, Utah, to face in-state opponent Southern Utah.

PROVO, Utah – West Coast Conference play begins this weekend at Loyola Marymount for No. 22/23 BYU softball after a quick trip to face Utah State on Wednesday.

BYU Game Notes

The reigning three-time WCC champion Cougars (23-10, 0-0 WCC) look to defend their title. They will travel to Logan, Utah on Wednesday to play Utah State (23-8, 6-3 Mountain West) before heading to Los Angeles for the three-game series at LMU (14-22, 0-0 WCC).

The matchup against the Aggies will be streamed live on theMtn.com. Live stats will be available for all games on the BYU softball schedule page.

BYU Storylines

• The Cougars are ranked for the sixth week of the season, extending the streak for the most a BYU softball team has been ranked in a single season. They moved up in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll at No. 22, the highest BYU has been ranked in 2017. In the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25, the Cougars are ranked for the first time this year, clocking in at No. 23. Additionally, thanks to the tough schedule before conference play, BYU is No. 21 in the NCAA in RPI.
• For the third time this season, BYU swept the WCC weekly awards with Caitlyn Larsen Aldlredge winning player of the week and McKenna Bull taking pitcher of the week. This is the first WCC Player of the Week nod of Alldredge’s career, while for Bull, this is the fifth WCC Pitcher of the Week honor of the year, third in a row. BYU also swept the weekly awards in week two when Rylee Jensen and Kerisa Viramontes won and in week four when Libby Sugg and Bull took the honors. Bull also won the Madness WCC Player of the Week award.
• Bull now holds the career records for innings pitched, complete games, shutouts, saves, strikeouts and wins. She surpassed Paige Affleck’s 91 career wins in the first game against Dartmouth. Additionally, she passed Affleck’s 803.1 career innings pitched against Oregon. At the plate, Ashley Thompson is moving up career lists herself, currently fifth in stolen bases (39) and third in walks (112).

Opponents Outlook

Utah State (23-8, 6-3 Mountain West) | Game Notes

• After going 16-4 to start 2017, this year’s Utah State team secured the best 20-game start in school history.
• The Aggies are ranked in the top 15 in the NCAA in batting average (0.334), slugging percentage (0.516), stolen bases per game (2.19) and triples per game (0.42).
• BYU leads the overall series 35-2 over Utah State. The Cougars are on a 15-game win streak against the Aggies, the last win coming in Provo last year, 4-1.
   

Loyola Marymount (14-22, 0-0 WCC)

• In 2017, LMU has an 8-15 record at home.
• The Lions split two games against the Cougars’ first opponent this week, the Aggies, earlier this season.
• The Cougars hold the 16-8 overall advantage over the Lions. However, LMU has won the series against BYU in the past two years, including a 2-1 series win in Provo last year.