CEDAR CITY, Utah – BYU softball shutout Southern Utah in a 9-0 route at Kathryn Berg Field on Tuesday afternoon. The Cougars finished the day with 10 hits, four of which came from senior outfielder HannahJo Peterson. On the other side, Arissa Paulson held the Thunderbirds to just one hit.
“We played a complete game today,” said BYU head coach Gordon Eakin. “We started quick, played solid on offense, defense and pitching. Arissa Paulson and Reggie Kanagawa combined for a 1-hit shutout. Exceptional team win.”
Game Highlights:
- HannahJo Peterson capped off a four-hit day with a two-run shot into right
- Arissa Paulson allowed just one hit in 4.0 innings pitched while also cutting her ERA down from 3.92 to 3.73
- Huntyr Ava collected three RBI for the second game in a row
- With a pair of walks, Martha Epenesa has now reached base in 15 straight games
Player Highlights:
- Arissa Paulson: 4.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 4K, 3BB,
- HannahJo Peterson: 4-4, 2RBI, 3R, HR, 2B
- Huntyr Ava: 2-3, 3RBI, 1R, 2B
- Alyssa Podhurcak: 2-3, 2RBI
- Violet Zavodnik: 1-2, 1RBI, 2R, 1BB
The Cougars opened the game with a big first inning. They took the lead on a ball Huntyr Ava scorched into center field that brought home HannahJo Peterson from second to score the first run of the game. The lead stretched to three runs following a single up the middle by Alyssa Podhurcak that brought in Ally Oyanguren and Violet Zavodnik.
A groundout from Brooke Hill-Barrington, for the second out of the inning, was enough to score Martha Epenesa from third to give BYU its fourth run of the inning to go up 4-0.
In the bottom of the third frame, BYU pitcher Arissa Paulson escaped a bases-loaded jam forcing SUU to hit a slow roller to third baseman Epenesa who gathered it in time to throw out the runner at home to continue BYU's shutout.
The Cougar offense put more runs on the board in the fourth, starting with a single by Zavodnik that scored Peterson. Ava picked up her second and third RBI of the game with a shot that easily cleared the fence in left center, to put BYU on top 7-0.
Peterson stepped up to the plate with a runner on in the top of the fifth and expanded on her perfect day from the plate, hitting a homer, connecting on her fourth hit in four appearances and scoring her third run of the game.
SUU was unable to get a run across in the bottom of the fifth and BYU took the win 9-0 due to the NCAA 8-run mercy rule.
Up next, BYU will head to California for a weekend series against Santa Clara. Friday, May 7, will feature a doubleheader, with game one starting at 4 p.m. PDT and game two at approximately 6:30 p.m. PDT.