Two Kamoku homers lift Cougars past Cyclones, 5-1

A pair of Keila Kamoku homers lifted BYU softball to a 5-1 victory against Iowa State on Thursday night.

Author Trevor Rich
Keila Kamoku rounds second after one of two home runs against Iowa State on April 18, 2024Keila Kamoku rounds second after one of two home runs against Iowa State on April 18, 2024
Box Score

PROVO, Utah — A pair of Keila Kamoku home runs lifted BYU softball to a 5-1 victory against Iowa State at Gail Miller Field on Thursday night.

BOX SCORE

The Cougars (24-19, 6-13 Big 12) scored five runs on nine hits, propelled by Kamoku's two round-trippers and a stand up triple from Maddie Udall to earn the series-opening win.

In BYU's 13th game this season and third in a row with multiple home runs as a team, the Cougars also made it back-to-back contests with a single player launching two long balls after Hailey Morrow hit two against Idaho State on Tuesday.

Player Highlights

  • Keila Kamoku: 2-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI
  • Maddie Udall: 2-3, 3B, R
  • Ailana Agbayani (W, 4-1): 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 K
Maddie Udall hyped after BYU defensive play against Iowa State on April 18, 2024
Ailana Agbayani pitches during win against Iowa State on April 18, 2024
Keila Kamoku heads to third after one of two home runs against Iowa State on April 18, 2024

BYU scored one run on two hits in the bottom of the second to score the game's first run. A leadoff single from Udall and a base hit from Aleia Agbayani put two Cougars on base before a wild pitch set up baserunners on second and third with one out. A sacrifice fly from Hailey Morrow gave BYU a 1-0 lead heading into the top of the third inning. 

Iowa State evened the score at 1-1 in the top of the third via a solo home run. 

The Cyclones threatened in the top of the fourth inning, before the Cougars forced a double play to end the frame, keeping the score tied at 1-1. 

A triple off the right field wall from Udall set up a two-run homer to left field from Kamoku, putting BYU ahead 3-1 heading into the top of the fifth. 

Kamoku hit her second home run of the game, smacking it over the right center field wall and extending the Cougars' lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth. The roundtripper for Kamoku was the fourth time this season that a BYU player has had a multi-homer game. A later sacrifice fly from Maddie Bejarano put the Cougars ahead 5-1 before the conclusion of the sixth frame. 

Shortstop Ailana Agbayani, who pitched three and trwo thirds innings in relief, sat Iowa State down in order in the top of the seventh inning to secure BYU's 5-1 victory. 

On Deck
BYU will continue its three-game series at home against Iowa State, with game two on Friday, April 19 at 6:00 p.m. MDT. The game will be streamed through Big 12 Now on ESPN+.