EUGENE, Ore. – BYU softball narrowly fell to Drake, 3-2, after a late Bulldogs comeback Thursday afternoon at Jane Sanders Stadium.

“It was a tough loss and a game of inches,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “We’ll have to rebound, come back and take it one pitch at a time. That truly was a game of inches, so we will have to regroup.”

The Bulldogs (44-10, 24-1 Missouri Valley Conference) narrowly outhit the Cougars (35-21, 13-1 West Coast Conference) seven to six as the teams committed two and one errors, respectively.

Six different BYU players had one hit apiece: Rylee Jensen, Briielle Breland, Lexi Tarrow, Libby Sugg, Bridget Fleener and Brooke Vander Heide. Jensen and Madison Merrell scored the team’s two runs.

Kerisa Viramontes and Autumn Moffat shared pitching duties. Viramontes recorded six strikeouts without giving up any walks while Moffat had two strikeouts.  

After two scoreless innings, BYU got on the board first in the third after three-consecutive singles. Jensen singled to second base before Breland laid down a bunt and Tarrow hit a single to first base. Sugg then sent the ball down the left-field line and reached on a fielder’s choice as Jensen beat the throw to home and scored to take a 1-0 lead.

Drake responded in the bottom of the third as Nicole Newman sent a solo shot to right center, tying it up 1-1.

In the fourth frame, Merrell walked before a sacrifice bunt from Caitlyn Alldredge moved her up. Vander Heide singled to center field as Merrell advanced to third and then scored on a Drake fielding error for a 2-1 BYU lead.

The Bulldogs evened the score again in the bottom of the fifth. Newman singled up the middle before Libby Ryan came in as a pinch runner. Ryan stole second and advanced to third on a BYU throwing error. When Mandi Roemmich singled to center, Ryan came home to make it 2-2.

Drake continued the scoring in the sixth and took the lead for the first time in the game. Taryn Pena led off with a triple to right center before Kelsey Wright was hit by a pitch and Newman was intentionally walked. Tasha Alexander walked with bases loaded to go up 3-2.

BYU vs. Drake Box Score

BYU will play UAlbany on Friday at 5:30 p.m. PDT. If the Cougars win that game, they will also play a second game on Friday at 8 p.m. PDT.

PROVO, Utah – After winning the 2018 West Coast Conference title on Saturday to secure the 2018 NCAA Regionals automatic bid, BYU softball will head to the Eugene Regional, starting with a matchup against Drake on Thursday.

"We are excited to be playing in the NCAA tournament again this season," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "Oregon has passionate fans and one of the best softball venues in the country. It’s a strong regional and will be a great test. We are ready."

The Cougars (35-20, 13-1 WCC) are making their 14th-consecutive NCAA Regionals appearance and 15th in program history. They won the WCC championship for the fifth-straight year and the 10th title in a row overall, spanning four different conferences.

The Eugene Regional will take place Thursday through Saturday and includes host-team No. 1 Oregon (47-7, 21-3), Albany (30-14, 13-4) and Drake (43-10, 24-1) in addition to BYU. A four-team, double-elimination tournament will take place at each of the 16 regional sites, with each winning team advancing to the Super Regionals.

In 2017, the Cougars played in the Salt Lake City Regional where they picked up wins over Mississippi State and Fordham but fell twice to No. 16/17 Utah.

BYU Game Notes

BYU and Drake will play at 3:00 p.m. PDT. The game will be streamed on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app. The remaining schedule is as follows (all times PDT):

Thursday, May 17:
3:00 p.m. – BYU vs. Drake
5:30 p.m. – Oregon vs. Albany

Friday, May 18:
3:00 p.m. – Game 3 (winners from Thursday)
5:30 p.m. – Game 4 (losers from Thursday)
8:00 p.m. – Game 5 (Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser)

Saturday, May 20:
4:00 p.m. – Regional Final
6:30 p.m. – Regional Final Game 2 (if necessary)

LINKS OF NOTE

• Regional Tournament website
• Tickets
• WatchESPN.com
• NCAA Division I Softball Championship Bracket

OPPONENTS OUTLOOK
Drake Bulldogs (43-10, 24-1 Missouri Valley Conference)

• The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 43-10 record, including a 24-1 record and conference title in the Missouri Valley Conference.
• BYU has a 2-0 series record against Drake, having beat the Bulldogs 2-1 in 2008 and 12-1 in 2004.

No. 1 Oregon Ducks (47-7, 21-3 Pac-12)

• The Ducks finished first in the Pac-12 with a 21-3 conference record and a 47-7 overall record.
• BYU has a 4-10 all-time series record against Oregon. The two teams last faced each other in the 2015 Eugene Regional as the Ducks won 8-0.

Albany Great Danes (30-14, 13-4 America East)

• The Great Danes finished the regular season with a 30-14 record, including a 14-3 record and first-place finish in the America East.
• BYU has never faced Albany.