PROVO, Utah – Rain prevailed as the field and conditions became unplayable, cancelling the West Coast Conference game between BYU softball and Loyola Marymount, Saturday afternoon at Gail Miller Field.
“We’re playing good ball,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “We’re clicking right now so it’s disappointing that the weather didn’t cooperate. We needed that game. Obviously with only a 15-game conference season every game’s important and with the way we’re playing, it was really important for us to complete it—a six to nothing lead—and it’s just kind of tragic that we couldn’t get it in.”
The conference game against LMU (20-24, 1-10 WCC) will not be made up later in the season, and as a result, winning percentage would determine head-to-head advantage in case the Cougars (24-21, 6-2 WCC) tie another team in the standings.
“It becomes a percentage thing now,” Eakin said. “If we end up tied with San Diego for instance--even though we beat them two out of three--they could have one more win or would have one more win than us and win the conference based on a percentage.”
The game was called with two outs in the bottom of the second inning after a lengthy rain delay of an hour and a half . The statistics do not count in the team’s season.
BYU opened up the scoring in the bottom of the second.
Freshman Mercedes O’Connor began the scoring frenzy, continuing her momentum from Friday with a sacrifice fly, driving Katie Manuma in to score the first run of the game. Senior Carly Duckworth followed with a two-out triple off the wall in center field, driving in Ashley Thomspon for the RBI.
With Duckworth on third, senior Ashlee Robinson powered a two-run shot over the left field fence, bringing the lead to 4-0. Catcher Sydney Broderick then extended her hitting streak to 12 as she squeaked a hit up the middle. BYU continued the monster inning with shortstop Lauren Bell’s triple to right center driving in Broderick.
The sixth run of the inning came as Gordy Bravo singled with a bunt to third, allowing Bell to squeeze at home, before the game entered the rain delay.
“We’re just playing really good ball right now,” Eakin said. “Our confidence is up and we just need to continue to play the way we’re playing.”
The next game for the Cougars is at Weber State Wednesday at 2 p.m. MDT. The team will then travel to California for a weekend series against Pacific Friday at 4 p.m. PDT and 6 p.m. and Saturday at noon.