SANTA CLARA, Calif. – With the West Coast Conference title and an NCAA regional bid already locked up, the BYU softball team dropped its final game of the regular season 4-3 in nine innings on Saturday afternoon.

After seven innings, the two teams were tied at 3-3. Both teams went scoreless until the bottom of a ninth. With runners on second and third, a Santa Clara base hit to center field scored the winning run as the Broncos took the win 4-3.

Game Highlights:

• BYU tallied five doubles in the game from four different players including Allie Hancock, Libby Sugg, Rylee Jensen, and Marissa Chavez.
• Libby Sugg hit her 47th career double in the first inning increasing her No. 2 BYU all-time record. She also posted an RBI on the play moving into the No. 2 spot for career RBI at BYU with 209.
• In the top of the sixth, Lexi Tarrow hit her second triple of the season, taking the No. 7 BYU all-time record for career triples with seven.

Player Highlights:

• Allie Hancock: 2-3, 1R, 2 2B,
• Ashley Godfrey: 2-2, 1BB, 1HBP
• Libby Sugg: 1-3, 1RBI, 2B

The Cougars started strong as Jensen doubled off the left field fence on the first pitch of the game. Sugg followed with another double to score Jensen to give BYU the lead 1-0.

The Broncos evened the score in the bottom of first and put up two more runs in the bottom of the third to increase their lead to 3-1.

The Cougars clawed their way back in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs, Hancock doubled, followed by a Tarrow triple to left field to score Hancock. Chavez then doubled to score Tarrow, tying the game at 3-3.

Neither team was able to score a run in the seventh inning so the game went into extras. The game remained tied until the bottom of the ninth when a walk-off single gave the Broncos a 4-3 victory.

The Cougars now await their seed for the NCAA Regionals which will be announced on Sunday, May 12 at 7 p.m. MT.

PROVO, Utah – The BYU softball team returns for its final two regular season home games against Colorado State and Utah State Monday and Tuesday, before traveling to California for its final conference series against Santa Clara over the weekend.

Colorado State comes to Gail Miller Field on Monday, May 6, with the first pitch at 2:30 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast live on BYUtv. Then, the Cougars will face in-state foe Utah State for senior night on Tuesday, May 7, at 6 p.m. Five BYU seniors will be honored following the game. 

To round out the 2019 regular season, BYU travels to California for the final three games against Santa Clara. The Cougars are looking for their sixth straight West Coast Conference title. BYU will need to win two games against Santa Clara to win the title outright and one game to be co-champions.

The Cougars will play a doubleheader on Friday May 10, at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. PT in Santa Clara, California, with the final game on Saturday, May 11 at 11 a.m. PT. Live stats will be available on the schedule page. 

BYU Storylines

SENIOR NIGHT. Tuesday, May 7, the seniors on the softball team will be honored. The five seniors, Ashley Godfrey, Allie Hancock, Olivia Sanchez, Libby Sugg and Lexi Tarrow will be honored following the game against Utah State. 

FINAL CONFERENCE SERIES. Following BYU’s last two regular season home games, the Cougars will make one final trip to California for its regular season WCC finale against Santa Clara. BYU is currently 10-2 in conference after going 2-1 against Saint Mary’s.

CLOSING IN ON BYU RECORDS. While many BYU players are making their way up the BYU record books, senior Libby Sugg is closing in on BYU’s all-time records. Currently No. 2 in both doubles with 46 and RBI at 206. Sugg is six doubles away from holding the BYU record. She is also No. 5 in homers (48) and total bases (401). Redshirt sophomore Arissa Paulson has also made a dent in the charts, currently holding the No. 8 spot in complete games (28) and shutouts (8).

RYLEE JENSEN. Rylee Jensen has proved to be an incredible asset for the Cougars this season. The junior is currently ranked No. 26 nationally in batting average (.426), No. 52 in slugging percentage (.757), No. 67 in total bases (103) and is No. 1 in the WCC in seven different categories. She currently leads the team in batting average, runs scored (37), hits (58), RBI (28), home runs (10), slugging percentage (.757), on base percentage (.480), total bases (103), walks (15) and stolen bases (5).

WCC WEEKLY AWARDS.  The Cougars earned their 12th West Coast Conference weekly award nomination this week as Autumn Moffat took WCC Pitcher of the Week. It was Moffat’s second award this season. Rylee Jensen, Arissa Paulson, Libby Sugg and Kerisa Viramontes have all received the award 

Opponent Outlook

Colorado State | Monday, May 6 | 2:30 p.m. MDT | BYUtv

• The Rams hold a 37-10 overall record with a 18-6 conference record. The game against BYU will be their last regular season game. 

• Last season, Colorado State participated in the National Invitational Softball Championships but ultimately lost to South Dakota State.  

•Head Coach Jen Fisher begins her 9th season as the Rams head coach with a 235-214 overall record the Colorado State and a 360-250 career overall record.

Utah State | Tuesday, May 7 | 6 p.m. MT | BYUtv Digital

• The Aggies currently have a 15-18 record with a 4-16 record in the Mountain West Conference

•This will be the 42 meeting between the two teams as the Cougars hold the series at 38-3 after BYU suffered a loss last season 4-2 to the Aggies. The two teams were supposed to meet earlier in the season but the game was cancelled due to weather. 

•Head Coach Steve Johnson has coached for six season for the Aggies with a 127-169 overall record.

Santa Clara | Friday, May 10 at 2 & 4 p.m PT.; Saturday, May 11 at 11 a.m. |

• The Broncos currently have a 15-32 record and are 7-5 in conference after sweeping San Diego last weekend

• This will be the 25th meeting between the two teams with the Cougars holding the advantage at 22-2 after sweeping the Broncos for the last four seasons

• Lisa Dodd enters her 2nd season as the Bronco’s head coach with a 144-216 Division 1 overall record through seven seasons.