AUSTIN, Texas – After a home run from Ashley Thompson in the first inning, BYU softball never looked back in a 3-1 win over Texas on the road Friday.
“We got off to a good start and played solid defense to grind out a tough win," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "Ashley got us off to a great start and had quality at bats all game. Tomorrow we need to work on not leaving as many runners on base with less than two outs, but overall I"m very happy with our performance."
BYU (20-12) had six hits in the win, besting Texas (20-9) on the road. The last time these two teams faced each other was in 2010, also in Austin. The Cougars have now won two in a row against the Longhorns, tying the series history record 2-2.
Thompson, a junior first baseman, led the team with two RBI off of a two-run homer in the first inning. Gordy Bravo went 2 for 3 in the win, walking once. McKenna Bull had four strikeouts, giving up just one earned run in the win, improving her record to 15-8 in 2016.
BYU's strong start in the opening inning featured Lauren Bell reaching on a fielder’s choice before Thompson drilled her fourth home run of the season to give the Cougars an early 2-0 lead.
The bases were loaded in the top of the third, putting BYU in scoring position. Madison Merrell was walked to bring in Bravo for the third run of the game. However, the Cougars were unable to take advantage of the loaded bases, earning just the one run from Bravo.
Texas got on the board in the bottom of the third off of a single, cutting into BYU’s lead. Tough pitching from Bull retired the inning, keeping the 3-1 lead for the Cougars. After that inning, the two teams were scoreless for the rest of the game.
The Cougars loaded up the bases again in the top of the seventh with just one out, but the Longhorns completed a double play to end the rally. BYU’s defense held tough to complete the 3-1 win.
These two teams will face off again in a doubleheader on Saturday at 6 p.m. CDT and 8:30 p.m. CDT. Both games will be televised on the Longhorn Network and WatchESPN with audio streaming and live stats available on the BYU schedule page.