TEMPE, Ariz. — Two four-run innings helped BYU softball run past No. 22 Arizona State, 10-5 in its opening game of the Littlewood Classic at Farrington Stadium on Thursday night.
"The team played extremely well tonight," said BYU head coach Gordon Eakin. "It was a complete team victory against a very good team on their field."
The Cougars scored their 10 runs on nine hits, recording eight RBI en route to their three-hour win in front of a crowd of 1,213 on a cool Arizona night.
Player Highlights
- Kaysen Korth: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 7 K
- Martha Epenesa: 2-2, R, 2 RBI
- Ailana Agbayani: 2-4, R, 2 RBI
- Maddie Bejarano: 2-4, 2 R
- Violet Zavodnik: 1-3, 2 R, RBI
BYU exploded for four runs in the top of the first, batting through the order as Maddie Bejarano, Violet Zavodnik, Huntyr Ava, Maddie Udall, Martha Epenesa and Mallory Barber all reached base safely.
The Cougars scored two of its runs on wild pitches, with the other two coming as Udall reached on a Sun Devil fielding error and Barber got on base via a fielder’s choice.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning, Epenesa faced a full count before driving a single through the right side that scored both Bejarano and Zavodnik to stretch the BYU lead to 6-0.
Arizona State cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third inning, plating three runs on three hits and one error to make it 6-3, Cougars.
Homering twice in their half of the fifth, the Sun Devils were then within one, at 6-5. BYU got two runners on in the sixth but was unable to bring them around to score.
After starting the game but leaving in the third inning, pitcher Kaysen Korth re-entered the game in the bottom of the sixth. Working around two ASU runners in scoring position, she proceeded to strike out the heart of the Sun Devil order to keep the Cougars ahead 6-5.
BYU again batted through the order in the seventh as it broke the game back open. The Cougars saw Udall, Epenesa, Hailey Morrow, Ailana Agbayani, Bejarano and Zavodnik reach base, plating four more runs to take a 10-5 advantage into the bottom of the final inning.
Retiring the side in order, including with one of her seven strikeouts, Korth locked up her second-career win and the 10-5 BYU victory.
The Cougars will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 17, with a doubleheader against Portland State and Oregon State. First pitches are scheduled for noon and 2:30 p.m. MST.