Gail Miller Field
Gail Miller Field Provo UT 84601
PROVO, Utah – The BYU softball team notched its sixth win in a row after winning 9-1 against Utah Valley in the UCCU Crosstown Clash on Tuesday night at Gail Miller Field.
"We pitched well, and we defended okay," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "We've been defending better than we did tonight, but we defended okay and we hit well."
Game Highlights
- BYU (20-19, 5-1 WCC) combined for three home runs in the game and outhit the Wolverines 11-3.
- UVU’s (12-23, 4-8 WAC) only run came unearned in the top of the fifth inning.
- BYU jumped out two a 3-0 lead sparked by Jensen’s leadoff homer.
Player Highlights
- Rylee Jensen: 2-3, HR, 2B, 2 RBI
- Emilee Erickson: 2-2, 2 RBI
- Alyssa Podhurcak: 1-2, HR, 2 RBI (first career home run)
- Autumn Moffat: 3.0 innings pitched, 2 hits, 3Ks
To lead off the bottom of the first, Rylee Jensen hit a homer to center field. Then with Arissa Paulson and Libby Sugg on base, Emilee Erickson hit a single to right field to score two runs, giving BYU a 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Jensen doubled to left center, scoring Lexi Tarrow from third base. With Erickson on base, Alyssa Podhurcak hit her first career home run over the left field wall, to extend the Cougars’ lead to 6-0 in the third inning.
With two outs at the top of the fifth, Jensen dropped a hard hit liner and UVU picked up a run on the error, the Wolverines' only score of the ballgame.
BYU responded in the bottom of the half with its third homer of the night by Olivia Sanchez to right-center field. With the bases loaded, Brooke Vander Heide hit a single to give the Cougars an 8-1 lead. To end the game, Aubrielle Paulson singled up the middle to score Allie Hancock, giving BYU a 9-1 victory in five innings.
BYU returns to its home field to compete against No. 3 Washington on Wednesday, April 17, at 6 p.m. MDT. The game will be available on BYUtv Digital and live stats will be available on the softball schedule page.
PROVO, Utah – After BYU softball’s first conference sweep against Pacific, the Cougars will play two mid-week games hosting Utah Valley on Tuesday in the UCCU Crosstown Clash, followed by No. 3 Washington on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, April 16, UVU will come to Gail Miller Field to face the Cougars in the third and final game of the UCCU Crosstown Clash this season. The following day, the No. 3 Huskies will make their first trip to Provo, Utah. The runner-up in the 2018 Women’s College World Series, Washington, will be the highest-ranked team the Cougars will host during the regular season.
Both games are at 6 p.m. MT at Gail Miller Field with live broadcasts on BYUtv Digital.
BYU Storylines
NATIONAL ACTIVE LEADER. Libby Sugg is currently No. 2 nationally among active career leaders in RBI with 204. Sugg has tallied 23 so far this season including tying her career-high of five RBI against UTEP. She is also No. 9 nationally in career homers (47), No. 11 in total bases (385) and No. 25 in doubles (42).
CHASING THE CHARTS. A handful of BYU softball players are moving up in the BYU all-time record books. Senior Libby Sugg finished the 2018 season ranked No. 2 and No. 3 at BYU in career on-base percentage (.455) and slugging percentage (.700), respectively. She continues to move up in other categories including No. 2 in doubles (45), No. 3 in RBI (204), No. 5 in homers (47) and No. 5 in walks (101). Arissa Paulson moved into the No. 9 spot for career shutouts (6) and No. 10 in complete games (25) in career strikeouts with 235.
WCC AWARDS. Rylee Jensen earned her fourth WCC Player of the Week award after her performance in the sweep of Pacific. Jensen and Arissa Paulson have both earned weekly awards more than once this season. This is BYU’s ninth award this season as Libby Sugg, Autumn Moffatt and Kerisa Viramontes have also received awards.
TOP 25 TEAMS. No. 3 Washington will be the seventh top 25 team that BYU will play this season and the third top five team this season. The Cougars have played then- No 2. UCLA, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 6 Tennessee, No. 9 South Carolina, No. 11 Texas, No. 18 Baylor with six teams still being ranked in the top 25 in the NFCA Coaches Poll.
Opponent Outlook
Utah Valley | Tuesday, April 16 | 6 p.m. MT | BYUtv Digital
• UVU is 12-22 on the season and 4-8 in conference after being swept by Seattle U last weekend.
•This will be the third meeting between the two teams this season after a doubleheader earlier in the year when BYU took the first game 10-1 and held off the Wolverines in game two with a seventh inning rally, winning 6-5.
• The two teams will meet for the 46th time for the UCCU Crosstown Clash with the Cougars having the advantage 41-4.
• In 2018, UVU took second in the WAC Championships after compiling a 10-4 league record.
•TJ Hubbard is in his third season as the head coach at UVU recording a 49-76 record.
No. 3 Washington | Wednesday, April 17 | 6 p.m. MT | BYUtv Digital
• The Huskies currently have a 35-6 and are 12-3 in conference after sweeping Arizona State this past weekend. Their only three conference losses were against No. 1 UCLA.
• Washington is the runner-up to the 2018 Women’s College World Series champion after losing in the finals to Florida State.
• This will be the 12th meeting between the two teams and Washington’s first trip to Provo, Utah. BYU trails in the series 3-8, with the Cougars' last win over Washington in 2017 in Puerto Vallarta.
•Head Coach Heather Tarr enters her 15th season as the Huskies head coach and has lead her team to six WCWS appearances.