LAS VEGAS - Hannah Howell threw eight strikeouts and Delaney Willard hit her fourth home run in six games as the BYU softball team defeated Portland State 4-1 on Thursday in the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic.

Willard went 2 for 2 with two RBI, a run and a walk and is now 11 for 19 (.579) in six games this season

Down 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Willard launched a pitch over the right field fence for a two-run homer, scoring herself and JC Clayton who had reached earlier on a single.

The Cougars kept up the pressure with two more runs, the first by Carly Duckworth on a double from Stacie Toney. After Lacey Millet legged out a single and Toney went to third, Millett reached second on a safe steal attempt while the late throw from the Viking catcher went high. With the ball sailing into the outfield, Millett went to third and Toney came home for BYU's fourth run.

Toney finished 2 for 3 with a hit and a run while Clayton also had two hits and a run scored.

Howell earned her first win of the season by scattering six hits with one run and one walk. The junior's eight strikeouts were one shy of a career high.

Freshman Caroline Umphlett came on in relief to earn the save after getting the third and final out on a comeback grounder to end the game with the bases loaded.

BYU will play Cal State Northridge at 3:45 p.m. PT followed by Memphis at 6 p.m. PT tomorrow.

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER DESERT CLASSIC
Feb. 16-18, 2012
UNLV Campus & Stephanie Lynn Craig Park
Las Vegas & Henderson, Nev.

Portland State
Thurs., Feb. 16
3 p.m. PT
UNLV Campus

Cal State Northridge
Fri., Feb. 17
3:45 p.m. PT
SLC 1 Field

Memphis
Fri., Feb. 17
6 p.m. PT
SLC 1 Field

Indiana
Sat., Feb. 18
11:15 a.m. PT
SLC 2 Field

UC Santa Barbara
Sat., Feb. 18
1:30 p.m. PT
SLC 2 Field

COUGAR QUICK HITS
— Last season at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, BYU went 4-1 with wins over SIUE, Cal Poly, Boise State and Cal State Northridge with the lone loss coming against No. 18 Stanford.
— BYU defeated two top-15 teams last weekend, beating No. 15 Texas A&M and No. 11 Oregon at the Kajikawa Classic.
— Senior outfielder Delaney Willard earned WAC Hitter of the Week after collecting nine hits, nine RBI, six runs, three doubles, three home runs, one walk and 21 total bases in five games last week- end. Willard is currently batting .529 with a 1.235 slugging percentage.
— BYU head coach Gordon Eakin began his 10th season with a 371-160 (.699) record, placing him No. 18 among active coaches in career win percentage and would be No. 19 all-time on the same list (all-time list requires minimum of 10 years coaching). Last season, Eakin won his third-straight MWC Coach of the Year.

OPPONENT NOTES

Portland State
Portland State comes in after also competing in the Kajikawa Classic, losing to BYU’s former MWC foes San Diego State and Utah. The Vikings have been sparked early by Karmen Holladay who has five hits and nine total bases. Starting pitcher Anna Bertrand is 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA and has thrown a complete game in each of her three appear- ances. Last season, BYU lost after stellar performances by Jessica Fitu who hit two home runs and Paige Affleck who no-hit the Vikings through seven innings. A walk and a collection of singles gave PSU the win in eight innings.

Cal State Northridge
Last season, BYU had no trouble with the Matadors, winning 11-0 behind Jessica Fitu’s BYU single game record five hits, including a grand slam. Pitching as a freshman, current hurler Tori Almond threw the complete game shutout, striking out six with only three hits. Cal State Northridge has had a tough season after the first weekend, going 0-5 with games against ranked teams Stanford, Nebraska and Arizona.

Memphis
BYU will face the Tigers for the first time in team history this weekend. Morgan Mosby is the only Memphis player with more than three hits after last weekend and leads the team with eight hits. The Tigers have struggled hitting for extra bases with only three doubles and one home run as a team. They currently have more strikeouts (27) than hits (22) - no doubt in part to opening against Alabama.

Indiana
BYU has not allowed a run against the Hoosiers in the teams’ two-games series, winning 2-0 in 2004 and 6-0 in 2009. In the ‘09 contest, current Cougars Jessica Dugas (1 walk), Tiffany Messerschmidt (1 hit, 1 run) and Krista Hicks (1 hit) all contributed. Indiana is hitting very well with a .344 team batting average, led by Jenna Abraham’s seven hits, including two doubles and two homers. Pitcher Meaghan Murphy has 18 strikeouts in three appearances.

DePaul
Besides getting in the way of a hot Hawaii team in Honolulu, DePaul has cruised this season. Lynsey Ciezki and Mary Connolly are both batting above .400 with Ciezki leading the team with seven hits and Connolly hitting two home runs while drawing three walks and totaling a 1.111 slugging percentage. Kirsten Verdun is 2-1 for the Demons with a team-high 16 strikeouts. BYU last played DePaul in a doubleheader in 2006 when the two teams split the series.

LAST TIME OUT
TEMPE, Ariz. - A rollercoaster week for the BYU softball team left the cougars with a 3-2 record after the first weekend of the season.
Competing at the Kajikawa Classic, the Cougars suffered their worst loss in program history in the season opener, falling 22-5 to Oregon State. BYU could not end a 16-run second inning by the Beavers and used five pitchers in the game.
BYU bounced back in a big way the next day with a 3-2 win over No. 15 Texas A&M. Senior Delaney Willard hit a three-run homer in the first inning and pitchers Caroline Umphlett and Hannah Howell, along with a much improved defense, did the rest to earn the win. in BYU’s second game of the day, Willard hit another home run, this a two-run shot, but Texas State’s hitting did the Cougars in, giving the Bobcats a 6-2 victory.
On the final day of competition, BYU again bounced back from a loss, winning both its games on Saturday. The first was a gutsy victory over No. 11 Oregon. Howell pitched into the sixth inning allowing just one run to the Ducks while Umphlett closed out the game. Ashlee Brawley hit a chopper to the Duck shortstop who fumbled the ball just enough to throw late to first. Brawley was ruled safe while the game-winning run by Carly Duckworth scored, giving BYU a 2-1 win. BYU closed out the weekend with a 12-4 romp over UC Santa Barbara highlighted by Willard’s third home run of the weekend, a bases clearing double by Alexandra Hudson and an eight-strikeout performance from Umphlett.