Split on Day Two of Kajikawa Classic

TEMPE, Ariz. - The BYU softball team split two games on the second day of the Kajikawa Classic, knocking off No. 15 Texas A&M, 3-2, before losing in the second game of the day to Texas State, 6-2, on Friday.

Senior Delaney Willard hit a home run in each of the two games, including a 3-run bomb in the first inning against Texas A&M that proved to be the difference.

Freshman pitcher Caroline Umphlett earned the win in the first start of her career, throwing 3.1 innings with five hits, three walks and one earned run against the Aggies. Hannah Howell came on in relief for the Cougars, allowing just one run on one hit and one walk with three strikeouts in 3.2 innings for the save.

Despite chipping away with solitary runs in the fourth and fifth innings, the Cougar pitching and fielding combined to shut down the Aggie offense which left nine runners on base. Texas A&M had four runners in scoring position in the first three innings alone, but the BYU defense held strong to prevent any scoring.

In the second game, Texas State scored two runs in both the first and second innings to take the lead and never looked back as the BYU offense struggled to bring runners around.

Willard hit her second home run of the day against the Bobcats on a two-run shot in the third inning. The right fielder finished the game hitting 4 of 4 while adding a double and two singles.

BYU challenged the Bobcats in the sixth inning, getting singles on back-to-back pitches by Krista Hicks and Stacie Toney, with the runners advancing to second and third, respectively, following a throw to third. But the next three Cougar batters went down without a threat, nixing any comeback.

Hicks and Toney had two hits apiece for BYU as the Cougars go to 1-2 on the season. They will face No. 11 Oregon on Saturday at 11 a.m. MT before going up against UC Santa Barbara at 4 p.m. MT in the final two games of the Classic.