SAN DIEGO – Freshman Libby Sugg’s three RBI led BYU softball to a 6-3 win over No. 24 Fresno State, splitting the doubleheader at the San Diego Classic II on Friday.
"Against Fresno State we had some cluth hitting that overcame some defensive miscues," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "It was a nice win for our team. Our hitting didn't carry over to the second game against San Diego State, and our defense was poor again. That combination couldn't get it done in game two. Even though we haven't been putting it all together consistently, we are beating some very good teams. We are working hard to put it all together as we approach conference play."
After BYU (17-12) defeated Fresno State (16-7-1), San Diego State (15-10) pulled out the 3-2 win over the Cougars in the second game of the twinbill. The win over the Bulldogs was the Cougars’ second top-25 upset of the season, the first coming against No. 15 Arizona. BYU totaled 20 hits on the day with eight runs. Junior pitcher McKenna Bull had seven strikeouts.
Game one
BYU completed its second upset of the season, defeating No. 24 Fresno State 6-3 behind three RBI from freshman Sugg. Bull started from the circle, throwing five strikeouts and four walks, improving her record to 12-8 on the season.
After one scoreless inning, BYU got on the board in the bottom of the second. McKenzie St. Clair hit a double to right field, bringing in Alexa Strid for the first run of the game.
The Cougars extended their lead in the third inning, scoring two more runs. After Lauren Bell hit a lead-off triple, Sigg hit a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing Bell to run home. Another triple from Madison Merrell put her in scoring position when Strid hit a left-field single. Merrell scored the second run of the inning, putting BYU up 3-0 over Fresno State.
The fourth inning was a scoring barrage on both sides. The Bulldogs scored three runs in the top of the inning to tie the game 3-3. With two outs, the Cougars responded in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of runs scored of off Sugg’s double down the left field line, giving them back the lead, 5-3.
BYU sealed the win with another run in the bottom of the sixth. Ashley Thompson doubled to right field, bringing in Bell to push the lead to 6-3, which would be the final score.
BOX SCORE: BYU vs. No. 24 Fresno State
Game two
BYU fell 3-2 to San Diego State despite taking an early lead. The Cougars’ one error ended up being key as it gave the Aztecs an unearned run. Thompson and Sugg led the team with an RBI each while Gordy Bravo scored both of BYU’s runs in the loss. Olivia Sanchez and Bull split pitching time, combining for just three strikeouts.
For the second game in a row, BYU struck first, scoring one run in the top of the third after two scoreless innings. Thompson singled up the middle to bring in Gordy Bravo, putting the Cougars up 1-0 over the Aztecs.
San Diego State answered back in the bottom of the fourth, scoring two runs. The first was off of a solo home run and the second was due to an error by BYU.
In the top of the fifth, Bravo reached home plate for the second time in the game. Thompson’s sacrifice bunt put her in position to score and Sugg’s ground out to second base gave Bravo enough time to run home, tying the game 2-2.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, an Aztec batter was walked, bringing in a run and giving them back the lead, 3-2. The Cougars were unable to rally in the top of the seventh, resulting in a loss for BYU.
BOX SCORE: BYU vs. San Diego State
BYU will finish the San Diego Classic II against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. PDT. Live stats will be available on the BYU schedule page.