PROVO, Utah – BYU softball fell to Utah State 4-2 after a grand slam from Aggie Allanah Alvarado Wednesday night at Gail Miller Field.
“Delaney Hull pitched a good game for Utah State,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “She had us off balance all day and hit her spots. That being said, I’m glad finals are over so we can get back to practice and get ready to play this weekend.”
The Cougars (25-20, 5-1 West Coast Conference) outhit the Aggies (17-27, 6-12 Mountain West Conference) seven to six in the loss. Rylee Jensen led the team with two hits, going 2 for 4 from the plate with one run. Briielle Breland, Libby Sugg, Caitlyn Alldredge and Brooke Vander Heide all had one hit apiece.
Autumn Moffat, Kerisa Viramontes and Arianna Paulson shared pitching duties. Moffat tied her career-high five strikeouts in three innings. Viramontes allowed just one hit in three innings and Paulson pitched the final frame.
BYU started the game strong with Moffat striking out the side in the top of the first.
The Cougar bats rode that momentum as Jensen singled up the middle on the very first pitch. Breland followed with a double to right field, advancing Jensen to third. A single from Sugg drove in both Jensen and Breland for a 2-0 lead.
In the third frame, Utah State loaded the bases with Riley Plogger reaching on a BYU fielding error, Brina Buttacavoli’s single to right field and Baile Trapp getting hit by a pitch. Designated player Alvarado then hit a grand slam to center field, scoring Plogger, Buttacavoli and Trapp to put the Aggies up 4-2.
Pinch hitter Brooke Vander Heide led off in the bottom of the seventh and singled to third. Madison Merrell grounded out to the pitcher, moving Vander Heide up and putting the Cougars in scoring position. Jensen grounded out the third baseman. With a full count, Breland popped out to second to end the game.
The Cougars are slated to host a three-game series this weekend against conference foe Saint Mary’s, beginning with a doubleheader Friday at 5:00 p.m. MDT. The game will be broadcast live on BYUtv with live stats available on the BYU softball schedule page.