TEMPE, Ariz. – BYU softball dropped two games to North Dakota State and No. 7/8 Arizona State 4-2 and 7-0, respectively, during the first day of the ASU Invitational on Friday.
Libby Sugg crushed two homers for the Cougars (17-16) as they fell to the Bison (19-11) in a rematch of last week’s 3-1 BYU win at the LSU Round Robin.
The Sun Devils (29-4, 5-1 Pac-12) defeated the Cougars on the strength of a no-hitter delivered by Giselle Juarez in the nightcap. ASU managed seven runs on seven hits for the win.
Game one
Sugg had two of the Cougars’ three hits while Kerisa Viramontes recorded four strikeouts from the circle.
North Dakota State got on the board first, scoring one run in both the first and second innings for a 2-0 lead. Madyson Camacho reached on an error before stealing second and then advancing on a wild pitch. A double to right center from Bre Beatty brought Camacho in for a 1-0 lead.
In the second, Vanessa Anderson doubled to left center for the Bison. Zoe Stavrou then singled to deep center field and Anderson came across to score the second run.
Sugg hit both of her home runs to left field in the fourth and sixth innings, respectively. In the fourth frame, Sugg’s dinger brought BYU within one, 2-1.
The Bison added another run for a 3-1 advantage in the bottom of the fifth before Sugg’s sixth-inning blast kept the Cougars close at 3-2.
NDSU added its final run of the game as a sacrifice fly to left field brought a runner home in the bottom of the sixth.
BYU vs. North Dakota State Box Score
Game two
ASU's Juarez allowed Cougar batters only one base on balls while striking out 11 batters in her impressive no-hit victory. She improved to 14-1 on the year with the win.
The Sun Devils scored in the first inning as Kindra Hackbarth singled up the middle before advancing on a sacrifice bunt by Jade Gortarez. Morgan Howe singled to left center and advanced on the throw to bring Hackbarth in for a 1-0 lead. Howe moved to third and then came home on two wild pitches to make it 2-0.
ASU added another run in the second for a 3-0 advantage before two more runners crossed the plate in the third frame to make it 5-0.
In the third, Danielle Gibson singled down the right-field line before Ashley Moss came in as a pinch runner. Moss advanced to second as Marisa Stankiewicz walked. Skylar McCarty singled to center field as Moss scored to go up 4-0. Bella Loomis walked with the bases loaded for the second run of the inning.
Sun Devil Breezy Wise homered to left center in the fifth for a 6-0 lead. Kindra Hackbarth later tripled down the left-field line to bring Kwyn Cooper in to make it 7-0.
BYU vs. No. 7/8 Arizona State Box Score
The Cougars conclude the ASU Invitational tomorrow in a doubleheader against the Bison at 11 a.m. MST and the Sun Devils at 4 p.m. MST.
Please note that Tempe, Arizona, does not observe Daylight Saving Time and observes Mountain Standard Time all year. If following the games from Utah, they begin at 12 p.m. MDT (Mountain Daylight Time) and 5 p.m. MDT, respectively.