PROVO, Utah -- Freshman pitcher Tori Almond pitched five innings of shutout softball as BYU defeated Colorado State 8-0 on Saturday at Gail Miller Field.

Almond improved her record to 8-3 after earning seven strikeouts to keep the Rams scoreless for the second-straight day.

Senior Kristin Delahoussaye scored three runs on two walks and one hit with one RBI and a stolen base. Sophomore JC Clayton added a 2-for-2 day with an RBI while senior Caschjen Atagi had a two-RBI single.

Colorado State pitcher Alexa Cash kept the Rams close a day after the Cougars scored nine runs in the first two innings on Friday. BYU scored two runs on only two hits through four innings on Cash, putting the game out of reach only when Cash was pulled to begin the fifth.

In the fifth, the Cougars’ first five batters of the inning reached safely. After two walks and a single loaded the bases, Delahoussaye hit a comebacker right at the CSU pitcher to bring in freshman Carly Duckworth.

A walk by junior Tiffany Messerschmidt and a single by Clayton brought in two more runs followed by Atagi’s deep hit to left field to give BYU a 7-0 lead. With just one run needed to end the game early, pinch runner Lacey Millett scored from third on a wild pitch to end the game.

Senior Jessica Fitu had an RBI-double in the first inning and Delahoussaye scored from third on a double-steal attempt in the third inning, reaching safely right before Clayton was tagged out between first and second base.

BYU improves to 4-1 in the Mountain West Conference and 28-15 overall after winning 16 of their last 17 games. The Cougars continue their home stand on Tuesday, Apr. 26, in a non-conference game against Idaho State starting at 6 p.m. MT.

Colorado State at BYU
Apr 23, 2011 at Provo, Utah (Gail Miller Field)
Colorado State 0 (7-36,0-8)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
DOUGHTY, Morghan rf......  2  0  1  0   1  0  1  0   0
STEM, Caitlan ss.........  3  0  1  0   0  2  0  2   0
POHL, Emily c............  3  0  1  0   0  0  2  1   0
BIGLOW, Chelsea 3b.......  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  2   2
PALISH, Brittany dh/c....  2  0  1  0   0  1  2  0   2
 MOSSER, Cassandra pr....  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
ROBERTS, Lyssa 2b........  2  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0
GRECKEL, Alysa 1b........  2  0  0  0   0  2  8  0   0
DONAHUE, Brianna lf......  2  0  0  0   0  0  1  0   0
ALLEN, Ivory cf..........  2  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   2
CASH, Alexa p............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
 LASWELL, Desiree p......  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 20  0  4  0   1  7 14  6   6
BYU 8 (28-15,5-1)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
DELAHOUSSAYE, Kristi 2b/c  1  3  1  1   2  0  2  1   0
MESSERSCHMIDT, Tiffa dh..  0  1  0  1   1  0  0  0   0
CLAYTON, JC ss...........  2  0  2  1   0  0  1  0   0
 MILLETT,Lacey pr........  0  1  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
FITU,Jessica c...........  2  0  1  1   0  0  7  1   0
 ROBB, Madisen 2b........  1  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0
ATAGI,Caschjen 3b........  3  0  1  2   0  0  0  1   1
WILLARD, Delaney rf......  3  0  0  0   0  3  0  0   0
DUCKWORTH,Carly lf.......  1  1  0  0   1  0  1  0   0
GRAHAM, Stacie 1b........  1  1  0  0   1  0  4  1   0
DUGAS,Jessica cf.........  2  1  1  0   0  0  0  0   0
ALMOND,Tori p............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
Totals................... 16  8  6  6   5  4 15  5   2
Score by Innings               R  H  E
--------------------------------------
Colorado State...... 000 00 -  0  4  1
BYU................. 101 06 -  8  6  1
--------------------------------------
Note: 2 outs, 1 runner LOB when the game ended.
E - DONAHUE, Bri(4); CLAYTON(11). LOB - CS 6; BYU 2. 2B - FITU(10). SH -
MESSERSCHMID 2(10); CLAYTON(3). SB - DELAHOUSSAYE(7). CS - CLAYTON(2).
Colorado State         IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
CASH, Alexa.........  4.0  2  2  2  2  2 10 15
LASWELL, Desiree....  0.2  4  6  6  3  2  6  9
BYU                    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
ALMOND,Tori.........  5.0  4  0  0  1  7 20 21
Win - ALMOND (8-3).  Loss - CASH, Alexa (1-14).  Save - None.
WP - LASWELL, Des(21).
Umpires - HP: Jason Bluemel  1B: Clair McBride  3B: Ray Meibos
Start: 2:05   Time: 1:50   Attendance: 363
Weather: 46 degrees and overcast
Colorado State starters: 7/rf DOUGHTY, Mor; 23/ss STEM, Caitla; 85/c POHL,
Emily; 2/3b BIGLOW, Chel; 18/dh PALISH, Brit; 22/2b ROBERTS, Lys; 29/1b
GRECKEL, Aly; 9/lf DONAHUE, Bri; 11/cf ALLEN, Ivory; 14/p CASH, Alexa;
BYU starters: 4/2b DELAHOUSSAYE; 20/dh MESSERSCHMID; 16/ss CLAYTON; 10/c FITU;
9/3b ATAGI; 28/rf WILLARD; 3/lf DUCKWORTH; 21/1b GRAHAM; 19/cf DUGAS; 8/p
ALMOND;
Colorado State 1st - DOUGHTY, Mor walked. STEM, Caitla struck out
swinging. POHL, Emily singled through the left side; DOUGHTY, Mor advanced to
second. BIGLOW, Chel out at first 1b to 2b; POHL, Emily advanced to second;
DOUGHTY, Mor advanced to third. PALISH, Brit struck out swinging. 0 runs, 1
hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
BYU 1st - DELAHOUSSAYE walked. MESSERSCHMID grounded out to 3b, SAC,
bunt; DELAHOUSSAYE advanced to second. CLAYTON grounded out to 1b unassisted,
SAC; DELAHOUSSAYE advanced to third. FITU doubled to center field, RBI;
DELAHOUSSAYE scored. ATAGI grounded out to ss. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1
LOB.
Colorado State 2nd - ROBERTS, Lys grounded out to 1b unassisted.
GRECKEL, Aly struck out swinging. DONAHUE, Bri grounded out to p. 0 runs, 0
hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BYU 2nd - WILLARD struck out swinging. DUCKWORTH grounded out to 1b
unassisted. GRAHAM popped up to 1b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Colorado State 3rd - ALLEN, Ivory out at first c to 2b, bunt. DOUGHTY,
Mor singled to first base. STEM, Caitla singled to left center; DOUGHTY, Mor
advanced to second. POHL, Emily lined out to lf. BIGLOW, Chel grounded out to
2b. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
BYU 3rd - DUGAS flied out to lf. DELAHOUSSAYE walked. MESSERSCHMID
grounded out to p, SAC; DELAHOUSSAYE advanced to second. CLAYTON singled to
left field; DELAHOUSSAYE advanced to third. CLAYTON out at first c to ss to 1b,
caught stealing; DELAHOUSSAYE stole home. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Colorado State 4th - PALISH, Brit singled to left field. MOSSER, Cass
pinch ran for PALISH, Brit. ROBERTS, Lys struck out swinging. GRECKEL, Aly
struck out swinging. DONAHUE, Bri reached on an error by ss; MOSSER, Cass
advanced to second. ALLEN, Ivory struck out swinging. 0 runs, 1 hit, 1
error, 2 LOB.
BYU 4th - FITU flied out to rf. ATAGI grounded out to 3b. WILLARD struck
out looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Colorado State 5th - DOUGHTY, Mor popped up to ss. STEM, Caitla struck
out swinging. DELAHOUSSAYE to c. ROBB to 2b for FITU. POHL, Emily grounded out
to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BYU 5th - PALISH, Brit to c for POHL, Emily. LASWELL, Des to p for CASH,
Alexa. DUCKWORTH walked. GRAHAM walked; DUCKWORTH advanced to second. DUGAS
singled through the left side; GRAHAM advanced to second; DUCKWORTH advanced to
third. DELAHOUSSAYE singled to pitcher, RBI; DUGAS advanced to second; GRAHAM
advanced to third; DUCKWORTH scored. MESSERSCHMID walked, RBI; DELAHOUSSAYE
advanced to second; DUGAS advanced to third; GRAHAM scored. CLAYTON singled to
shortstop, RBI; MESSERSCHMID advanced to second; DELAHOUSSAYE advanced to
third; DUGAS scored. ROBB struck out looking. ATAGI singled to left field,
advanced to second on a throwing error by lf, 2 RBI; CLAYTON advanced to third;
MESSERSCHMID scored; DELAHOUSSAYE scored. MILLETT pinch ran for CLAYTON.
WILLARD struck out swinging. MILLETT scored on a wild pitch. 6 runs, 4 hits,
1 error, 1 LOB.

PROVO, Utah -- BYU softball hosts its first conference games of the season on Thursday, Apr. 21, against Colorado State and a two-game stand against Colorado State Thursday and Friday, Apr. 22-23, at Gail Miller Field.

Thursday, Apr. 21

BYU vs. New Mexico

Gail Miller Field

6 p.m.

Televised live on BYUtv

Friday, Apr. 22

BYU vs. Colorado State

Gail Miller Field

6 p.m.

Televised live on BYUtv

Saturday, Apr. 23

BYU vs. Colorado State

Gail Miller Field

2 p.m.

CLICK HERE to follow the BYU softball team on Facebook.

COUGAR QUICK HITS

— BYU has won 17 of its last 19 games, including a streak of 12 wins before a 1-0 loss in extra innings at SDSU on Saturday. The Cougars have outscored their opponents 120-21 in the last 19 games.

— Junior first baseman Stacie Graham was named MWC Co-Player of the Week and senior pitcher Paige Affleck was named MWC Pitcher of the Week for their efforts last week at UNLV and at San Diego State. The honors were the sixth and seventh of the season for BYU.

— Graham, a 5-10 junior from Farmington, Utah, hit the game-winning home run, the first of her career, in BYU’s 1-0 win at San Diego State a day after going 2-for-3 with a double, single, hit by pitch, three runs, and three RBI in BYU’s 14-0 shutout of UNLV in Las Vegas.

— Affleck won the fourth MWC weekly honor of her career after pitching to all but a single batter over BYU’s three games last weekend. Affleck finished with a 0.00 ERA in 21.1 innings pitched, including shutouts at UNLV and San Diego State.

— Junior center fielder Jessica Dugas became the 16th player in BYU history to earn four hits in a game, going 4-for-4 at UNLV last week. Dugas also had a career-high three RBI along with two stolen bases and a run scored in the Cougars’ 14-0 win.

OPPONENTS SERIES NOTES

New Mexico comes into Provo with a 3-2 MWC record, 17-18 overall after most recently losing to New Mexico State on Tuesday, 6-0. In conference play, the Lobos have two wins over Colorado State and one win against UNLV with losses coming against UNLV and San Diego State. BYU currently holds a nine-game win streak over New Mexico.

New Mexico is led by Jessica Garcia, one of the best hitters in the MWC. Garcia is batting .436 with 51 hits, including eight home runs and 14 doubles with 28 RBI. As a team, the Lobos are batting .302. In the circle, pitchers Kaela DeBroeck and Kari Gutierrez split duties, with both appearing in 22 games with 17 starts apiece. DeBroeck sports an ERA of 4.35, narrowly better than Gutierrez at 4.78.

Colorado State comes in on a six-game losing streak, including two against New Mexico, two against San Diego State and one against UNLV in conference play. The Rams are allowing opponents to bat .359 on the year compared to the team’s own .255 batting average.

Brittany Palish leads the team batting .325 while Caitlin Stem has a team-high 33 hits, including 10 doubles. Three CSU pitchers have over 20 appearances, led by Alexa Cash with the lowest ERA on the team at 10.26 in 86.0 innings pitched and a 1-14 record. Kelsey O’Brien leads the team with a 3-13 record.

HOME RUN HIT STREAK

Junior right fielder Delaney Willard hit five home runs in four games recently against Seattle, Loyola Marymount and a doubleheader vs. Southern Utah. Willard’s four-game home run streak was the longest for a BYU player since Stephanie Hopkins hit one out in four straight in April 2008. Her five homers are the most in a four-game span since Angie Quiocho hit six out of the park also in April 2008.

NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE

Senior catch Jessica Fitu became the first BYU player in history to record five hits in a game, going 5-for-5 against Cal State Northridge earlier this season. Fitu hit a grand slam and had four singles on her way to finishing with six RBI and one run.

ALL-TIME CONFERENCE WINS LEADER

Already the record holder in all BYU career pitching categories, senior Paige Affleck became the winningest pitcher in Mountain West Conference history on Mar. 19, winning the 74th game of her career over No. 9 California in the Hawaii Spring Fling Tournament championship game. Affleck has now won 80 games in her career.

TAKING MORE

BYU has 13 players with at least one stolen base so far this year, led by freshman Lacey Millett and junior Jessica Dugas with nine steals apiece. Eight players have four or more. The Cougars have 54 stolen bases overall, already seventh-most in a season by a BYU team, and had a season-high four stolen

bases against Florida State, Iona and UNLV.

GOTTA SCORE

BYU is 17-0 when scoring at least six runs and 20-0 when leading after five innings. In addition, 12 of BYU’s 15 losses have come by three runs or fewer.