BYU bats lead to 18-5 win over Bethune-Cookman

BYU softball beat Bethune-Cookman, 18-5 in its Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic opener on Thursday.

Violet Zavodnik against UC Riverside during the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on February 22, 2024Violet Zavodnik against UC Riverside during the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on February 22, 2024

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. — BYU softball tallied 18 runs on 20 hits as it beat Bethune-Cookman, 18-5 in its Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic opener at Yankee Field on Thursday afternoon.

BOX SCORE

A six-run second inning that featured a Violet Zavodnik grand slam helped the Cougars (9-2, 0-0 Big 12) pull away early, and a nine-run fifth all but sealed the deal.

Player Highlights

BYU scored first in the top of the first inning with Ailana Agbayani leading off with a four-pitch walk and Maddie Bejarano doubling to center for an early 1-0 lead.

Plating six in the second inning, Keila Kamoku and Hailey Morrow both reached base before Taryn Lennon singled through the right side to make it 3-0. Ailana Agbayani and Bejarano joined Lennon on the base paths, and Zavodnik took a 2-0 pitch just over the fence in right center for a grand slam and 7-0 lead.

Kamoku led off the top the the third with a single to third, and her pinch runner, Tristen Turlington, came in to score on a Maddie Udall double.Jaelynn Lambert, pinch running for Udall, moved to third on a Lennon single and score on an Ailana Agbayani single, giving the Cougars a 9-0 advantage.

Pouring it on in the fourth, BYU sent 15 batters to the plate as it doubled its lead to 18-0, scoring nine more runs on nine hits, including a two-run homer by Huntyr Ava.

Bethune-Cookman plated one in the bottom of the fourth and four in the fifth to cut into the lead, but two strikeouts and a line out to Breezy Hayward at third base shut the door on the Wildcats for a run-rule win.

Up Next
The Cougars will play the second game of their Mary Nutter-opening doubleheader on Friday, Feb. 22 against UC Riverside. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.