KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ­– No. 6 Tennessee overpowered the BYU softball team 14-2 Thursday night during the first game of the Tennessee Invite.

A seven-run first inning proved to be too much for the Cougars (10-12, 0-0) as Tennessee (20-3, 0-0) capitalized on five BYU errors and the game ended after five innings due to the NCAA eight-run rule.

Five Cougars tallied hits in the game while Autumn Moffat recorded her first BYU run as Libby Sugg scored the other run. Lexi Tarrow and Ashley Godfrey each collected an RBI while Taylei Williams doubled in the game. 

After giving up five to the Volunteers in the first, BYU found some momentum in the top of the second frame as Sugg singled to the second base and advanced to second when Moffat walked. Godfrey nailed a ball through the middle and Sugg managed to make it home, sliding under the tag to give BYU its first run of the game. Tarrow followed, hitting a ball to shallow left just out of reach of the left fielder’s glove to send Moffat home.

The Vols tacked on another run in the bottom of the second giving them a six-run lead after two innings.

Tennessee continued its scoring, putting up three runs in both the bottom of the third and fourth frames. The game ended with after the top of the fifth as BYU took its first run-rule loss of the season 14-2.

BYU plays its first game against No. 11 Texas, Friday, March 14, at 3 p.m. ET. Live radio broadcast and live stats are available on the schedule page.

PROVO, Utah – The BYU softball team will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take on No. 6 Tennessee and No. 11 Texas.

BYU Game Notes

The Cougars will play each team twice over the weekend starting with a game against Tennessee on Thursday, March 14, at 5:30 p.m. followed by a game on Friday, March 15, against Texas at 3 p.m. The Invite concludes on Saturday, March 16, with a game against Tennessee at noon followed by the final game against Texas at 2:30 p.m., all eastern time.

This is the Cougars' second trip to Tennessee in the last four years and is the final tournament for BYU before conference play begins.

All four games will be played at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville with the games against Tennessee broadcast live on the SEC Network. Live stats will be available for all four games with a radio broadcast for the games against Texas.

BYU Storylines

• TRIP TO TENNESSEE. Senior catcher Libby Sugg is the second Cougar to hail from the state of Tennessee. A native of Franklin, this will be the second time Sugg will return to her home state for softball during her career at BYU. The Cougars last made the trip to Tennessee during her freshman year to play in the same tournament.

• RANKED OPPONENTS. BYU will face to two top-15 teams over the weekend. Last weekend, BYU faced now No. 1 UCLA and held its own through five innings. BYU has faced five top-25 teams this season (No. 9 South Carolina, No. 18 Baylor, No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 2 UCLA).

• POWER AT THE PLATE. BYU captain Libby Sugg returns for her final season at BYU. The two-time captain has been named to the USA Softball College Softball Player of the Year watch list and was named NFCA All-American Third Team after the 2018 season.

• WCC WEEKLY AWARDS. Rylee Jensen won her third WCC weekly award last week. The outfielder started all five games over the weekend, batting .597 while tallying runs in every game including a homer against Long Beach State. She was 11 for 19 through five games with seven runs and four RBIs. This is the fourth-consecutive week that a BYU softball player has earned a weekly award. Autumn Moffat and Kerisa Viramontes previously won WCC Pitcher of the Week awards while Jensen earned the award in back-to-back weeks.

Opponent Outlook

No. 6 Tennessee | Thursday, March 14 & Saturday, March 16 | 5:30 p.m. & noon ET |
• The Volunteers have compiled am 18-3 record so far this season recording two wins and one loss last weekend against No. 4 Florida.
•This is the ninth meeting between the two teams with the Volunteers holding the series, 7-1
• In 2018, Tennessee lost to Florida in the SEC Tournament but advanced all the way to the NCAA Super Regionals before being eliminated by Georgia
•Co-head coaches Ralph and Karen Weekly had been at Tennessee for 17 seasons, recording a 1,369-443-2 overall record.

No. 11 Texas | Friday, March 15 & Saturday, March 16 | 3 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. ET |
• In 2019, the Longhorns have posted a 21-5 overall record. Last weekend, Texas hosted the Longhorn Invitational and went 3-2.
• Last season, Texas advanced to an NCAA Regional after taking third at the Big 12 Championships.
• The two teams last met in Austin, Texas, in 2016 playing three games with the Longhorns winning two games.
• Mike White is in his first season as head coach of the Longhorns after nine season at Oregon holding a 457-116-1 overall record.