No. 20 BYU defeats Utah State, finishes with undefeated record at home
PROVO, Utah – A well-rounded team effort helped No. 20 BYU softball take down Utah State 4-1 for the Cougars' final home game of the season on Tuesday night at Gail Miller Field.
"Our focus remains one pitch at a time, one game at a time, and we did that again tonight, " BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "We put together a solid game in all three areas: offense, defense and pitching."
BYU (42-10, 12-0 West Coast Conference) extended its win streak to 21 games and had four runs on five hits while holding Utah State (32-16, 14-9 Mountain West) to just three hits and one run. Sophomore Libby Sugg led the team with two RBI. With the win, the Cougars finish the season with a 16-0 record at home, the second time in BYU softball history the team went undefeated in Provo. The other undefeated home record occurred in 2011.
In the bottom of the first inning, Sugg singled to left center and earned two RBI by bringing Lauren Bell and Rylee Jensen home. First baseman Ashley Thompson followed with a solo hit to right field to advance Sugg to third, but she was left on base as the Aggies kept the Cougars at a 2-0 advantage.
The next three innings were quiet until the Aggies threatened to score in the top of the fourth frame. Victoria Saucedo singled to left field but was left stranded as BYU pitcher McKenna Bull notched another strikeout to close the inning.
BYU recorded its third run of the game when shortstop Alexa Strid tripled to right field in the bottom of the fourth and ran home on a wild pitch. Brooke Vander Heide increased the Cougars’ lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning as she scored off a fielder’s choice from Caitlyn Larsen Alldredge.
The Aggies scored their first and only run of the game in the top of the sixth as Jazmin Clarke crossed home plate on a Saucedo single. The run ended Bulll’s record of 57.2-consecutive scoreless pitched innings, a record that began during the last matchup between the Cougars and the Aggies on April 5.
Bull closed out BYU’s 4-0 victory, making Utah State go three up, three down in the top of the seventh. She finished the game with nine strikeouts and just one walk.
The Cougars travel to California to finish regular season play on the road in a three-game series against Saint Mary’s starting on Friday, May 12, at 3 p.m. PDT.
PROVO, Utah – After clinching the West Coast Conference championship over the weekend, No. 20 BYU softball returns home for in-state games against Utah Valley and Utah State on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
BYU (40-10, 12-0 WCC) has played both UVU (16-21, 7-8 WAC) and Utah State (32-15, 14-9 MW) previously this season. The Cougars beat the Wolverines in Provo 12-4 in four innings two weeks ago. Back on April 5 in Logan, Utah, BYU squeezed out an 8-6 victory. That game against the Aggies was the last time McKenna Bull has given up a run.
The matchup against UVU will begin at 5 p.m. MDT on Monday. The Aggies and Cougars will faceoff on Tuesday at 6 p.m. MDT and will be streamed on theW.tv. Both games will have live stat options on the BYU softball schedule page.
BYU Storylines
- BYU softball is in the midst of its longest winning streak in program history with 19-straight wins. During this span, the Cougars have picked up eight run-rule wins.
- For the fourth year in a row, BYU earned the WCC championship. This is also the ninth-consecutive conference championship for the Cougars, spanning four different conferences.
- In WCC play, BYU is a perfect 12-0. In program history, the Cougars have never been undefeated in conference play. The fewest amount of conference games lost has been two, which happened in 2005, 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2015.
- At Gail Miller Field, BYU is 14-0. Only Florida State, Minnesota and Michigan have also maintained a perfect record at home this year.
- McKenna Bull has now thrown 52-consecutive scoreless inning, extending the BYU record. This streak spans 11 games played, nine of which were complete games. In six of those complete games, she has allowed just three hits or less.
Opponents Outlook
Utah Valley (16-21, 7-8 WAC)
- The Wolverines finished the Western Athletic Conference with a 7-8 mark, good for third place in the standings. They will be a two seed for the WAC Tournament that begins on May 11 in New Mexico.
- In the first matchup between BYU and UVU, the Wolverines jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the Cougars scored 12 unanswered runs. Lexi Tarrow hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the sixth to earn the run-rule win.
Utah State (32-15, 14-9 MW)
- The Aggies were swept at San Jose State last week to wrap up Mountain West play.
- When BYU and Utah State played in Logan back on April 5, Libby Sugg hit a three-run home run to lead the offense in the 8-6 win.