CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – After getting down early, BYU softball’s comeback bid fell short 8-5 against No. 22/23 Texas A&M Friday in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
“It was disappointing that we weren’t ready to play,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “It was 4-0 before we got off the bus mentally. I made some substitutions early on, and we outplayed them from the second inning through the end of the game.”
The Cougars (7-6) gave up four runs in the top of the first to the Aggies (8-4) as the first two batters advanced quickly to second and third.
A throwing error allowed Texas A&M’s Tori Vidales to reach first, loading the bases with no outs. The Aggies capitalized with a two-run double down the right field line. Two batters later they struck again with a two-run single to take a 4-0 lead before BYU took its first turn at the plate.
Both teams battled the rest of the game. The next three innings deadlocked with both teams not able to bring runners home.
Scoring picked up again with the Aggies picking up two runs in the top of the fifth, but BYU broke onto the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning with three of its own.
A pair of one-out base hits by Bravo and Bell followed by a bunt single by Godfrey loaded the bases for the Cougars. Arnold then singled to left, driving in two, before Sydney Broderick’s RBI on a fielder’s choice scored Godfrey to make the score 6-3.
In each of the last two innings, Texas A&M and BYU both scored one run apiece. Bravo’s RBI-single to left center scored Hofstedt in the sixth, making the score 7-4.
The Cougar rally came up short in the bottom of the seventh after two singles to begin the frame. BYU was only able to score one on a sacrifice fly by Brittany Call for the final 8-5 tally.
While extending her hitting streak to 11 games, junior Gordy Bravo had her second-straight game with three hits, leading the Cougars with 3-for-4 at the plate with one RBI and a run scored.
Freshman Ashley Godfrey and senior Megan Arnold each went 2-for-3 from the plate with Godfrey scoring two and Arnold collecting two RBI. Senior Lacey Hofstedt added two hits in three at-bats while also stealing two bases for the 15th time in her career.
Pitcher McKenna Bull took the loss, falling to 7-3 on the season while allowing seven hits, three earned runs, two walks and striking out four in four innings. Freshman Arianna Paulson finished out the game in relief, allowing seven hits and four earned runs in three innings of work.
BYU continues play in the Mary Nutter Classic, facing Indiana at 10 a.m. PST and Oregon State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Links to live stats or audio streaming is available on the BYU softball schedule page.