Cougars hold off Nebraska 4-1

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – The BYU softball team beat Nebraska 4-1 Friday afternoon on the second day of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

"It was a solid team win today," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "It showed great character and heart rebounding from a tough showing last night."

Game Highlights:

• Arissa Paulson and Autumn Moffat allowed only one run in the game. Paulson recorded her fourth win of the season while Moffat tallied the team’s first save.
• Martha Epenesa hit her first career homer to give BYU a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
• Reggie Kanagawa kept the Cougars rolling in the top of the seventh inning with a base hit in her first career at bat.

Player Highlights:

• Arissa Paulson: W (4-1), 4 IP, 1R, 3K
• Autumn Moffat: S (1), 3.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 2 K
• Martha Epenesa: 1-3, 1R, 1RBI, HR, BB

BYU vs. Nebraska Box Score

After a scoreless first inning, Martha Epenesa hit one over the fence to give BYU a 1-0 edge.

In the third inning, Rylee Jensen-McFarland singled to left field and Taylei Williams followed it up with a single of her own. Huntyr Ava singled on a hard-hit ball to the outfield and gave Jensen-McFarland enough time to make it home as BYU went up 2-0.

The Cornhuskers kept the game close, putting up one run in the bottom of the fourth decreasing the Cougars led to 2-1. Both teams went scoreless in the next two innings pushing the game into the seventh.

In the top of the seventh, Reggie Kanagawa came in to pinch hit for her first career at bat. The redshirt freshman singled up the middle to get BYU on base. HannahJo Peterson was then subbed in for her to pinch run. Williams was hit by a pitch advancing Peterson to second. Ava then tallied her second single of the night to load the bases for Arissa Paulson. Two errors from Nebraska resulted in BYU tallying two more runs to make the score 4-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, with runners at second and third base, a groundout to BYU’s shortstop ended the game and BYU won 4-1.

BYU will finish out the Mary Nutter Classic, Saturday, Feb. 21 with a game against Mississippi State at 2:30 p.m. PT followed by the last contest against Bethune Cookman at 5 p.m. PT. Both games will be broadcast on FloSoftball.