No. 6-seed Cougars upset No. 3-seed Cowgirls in quarterfinal, 7-2

OKLAHOMA CITY — No. 6 seed BYU softball scored the first seven runs of the game as it downed No. 3-seed Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinal at OGE Field at Devon Park on Thursday afternoon.

BOX SCORE

The Cougars (31-22, 11-16 Big 12) were led by senior lefty Chloe Temples, who tossed her third complete game and the team’s fifth of the season, giving up just a pair of earned runs while striking out six.

BYU plated two runs in both the second and sixth innings, and three runs in the fourth, including two extra base hits. Both teams tallied seven hits in the game but the Cougars benefitted from five Oklahoma State errors.

The win over the third-seeded Cowgirls, who are ranked No. 3 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and No. 2 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll, marked the team’s third win over a Top 10 team this season, the most in program history.

Player Highlights

• Lily Owens: 2-4, RBI
• Ailana Agbayani: 1-3, 3 RBI
• Keila Kamoku: 1-2, 2B
• Chloe Temples (W, 10-6): 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 K, 0 BB

Photos courtesy of Chad Hamilton, The Athletes Media

After BYU went down in order to open the game, starting pitcher Chloe Temples worked around a bloop single in the bottom of the first inning, posting two swinging strikeouts before a sliding catch in right by Aleia Agbayani ended the inning.

The Cougars sent seven batters to the plate in the second, with Hailey Morrow tripling down the right field line to get things started. Lily Owens singled up the middle to score her, and Owens came home on an OSU fielding error, that put BYU in front, 2-0.

Oklahoma State picked up two one-out singles in the bottom of the third inning, but momentum slowed on the second as its lead runner got caught in a run down and Temples snagged a liner on the next batter.

In the top of the fourth, Owens beat out an infield single before Keila Kamoku double off the wall in right. Owens would score as Maddie Bejarano reached on a fielder’s choice, knocking the ball out of the catcher’s glove on a sliding play at the plate.

After chasing the Cowgirls’ starter Ivy Rosenberry out of the game, Ailana Agbayani singled down the right field line to score both Kamoku and Bejarano for a 5-0 Cougar advantage.

In the top of the sixth inning, BYU sent seven batters to the plate again. Maddie Udall singled through the right side and Kamoku reached by beating out a sacrifice bunt attempt. An Ailana Agbayani sacrifice fly scored Taryn Lennon, pinch running for Udall, and as Jaelynn Lambert reached on an error, Abbey Gillespie, running for Kamoku, scored, making it 7-0.

With back-to-back doubles and a single in the home half of the sixth, Oklahoma State finally broke through, plating two runs to cut the BYU lead to five, at 7-2.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Temples shut the door on the Cowgirls, inducing two pop outs sandwiched by a groundout to close out the upset quarterfinal win.

On Deck
With the win, the Cougars advance to the semifinals on Friday, May 10 at 5 p.m. CDT. BYU will face the winner of Thursday’s next quarterfinal game between No. 2-seed Oklahoma and No. 7-seed Kansas.