MĀNOA, Hawai’i — A pair of Violet Zavodnik home runs helped BYU softball shut out Nevada 8-0 in game three of the Paradise Classic, giving the Cougars a 3-0 start to the 2024 season.
"Our team played a complete game today, BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "The offense was dialed in, and our defense was solid. Kaysen (Korth) and Kate (Dahle) did an incredible job from the circle. Nevada is a solid team and this was a solid victory."
Senior outfielder Zavodnik led the way with two home runs and a game-high 4 RBI, including a three-run home run. Pitchers Kaysen Korth and Kate Dahle combined for a five-hit shutout with seven strikeouts. The Cougars recorded 15 hits, scoring runs in four of the seven innings.
Player Highlights
- Violet Zavodnik: 3-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI
- Ailana Agbayani: 4-5, R, 3 RBI
- Maddie Bejarano: 3-4, R
- Lily Owens: 3-4, R
- Kaysen Korth: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K
- Kate Dahle (W, 2-0): 4 IP, 4 H 0 ER, 5 K
After singles by Maddie Bejarano and Ailana Agbayani, Zavodnik homered to left center, her first home run of the season, giving BYU a commanding 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
Following on Zavodnik’s momentum in the first inning, Ailana Agbayani singled through the left side in the top of the second, with Maddie Udall at second and Lily Owens at third, to score BYU’s fourth run of the day as Owens crossing the plate. Freshman Abbey Gillespie would then come in to pinch run for Udall and stole home on a double steal, upping BYU’s lead to 5-0.
Through three innings, BYU’s pitcher Kaysen Korth had allowed just one hit and struck out two Nevada batters, keeping the score at 5-0. In the top of the fourth, Kate Dahle entered the circle for the Cougars, striking out her first batter of the day and not allowing any runs in the inning.
In the top of the sixth, Zavodnik delivered a solo home run to center field, increasing BYU's advantage to 6-0.
In the final inning, the Cougars piled on two more runs courtesy of an infield single by Ailana Agbayani that allowed pinch runners Lexie Bennett and Jaelynn Lambert to score. Nevada was only able to produce one hit in the bottom of the seventh, and BYU earned the 8-0 shutout win.
Up Next
The Cougars have one final day left at the Paradise Classic, facing Missouri-Kansas City for the second time in game one of a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. HST. BYU will then play host Hawai'i in game two on the day, with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Live stats will be available on StatBroadcast.