OREM, Utah — BYU softball fell in a 12-10 battle at Utah Valley on Tuesday night at Wolverine Softball Field.
Trailing 12-5 after six innings, the Cougars (21-17, 4-11 Big 12) fought back to put up a five-spot in the seventh, but their late-inning comeback ultimately came up short. The Wolverines totaled 15 hits to BYU's 11 in the matchup. Each team left nine runners on base.
Player Highlights
- Ailana Agbayani: 2 H, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR
- Jaelynn Lambert: 2 H, 2 R, 3 RBI
- Violet Zavodnik: 2 H, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR
The Cougars plated two in the top of the first, with runs from Bejarano and Owens. After drawing a walk, Bejarano later advanced to second off a wild pitch. Owens followed with a single down the right field line, allowing Bejarano to score the first run of the evening. A UVU fielding error would then score Owens, giving BYU the 2-0 edge.
BYU piled on two more runs in the second inning, gaining a 4-0 advantage. With the bases loaded, Violet Zavodnik was walked for Jaelynn Lambert to come home. Owens then had an RBI groundout to third for Ailana Agbayani to score.
Lambert earned BYU’s fourth hit of the night for pinch runner Abbey Gillespie to score in the top of the third, with BYU then leading 5-0.
Scoreless through two innings, the Wolverines answered by adding 10 runs and 10 hits in the bottom of the third, changing the tide of the game to take a 10-5 lead. UVU’s game-altering inning was highlighted by two home runs as it sent 14 batters to the plate in the frame.
UVU continued to build off of its lead by scoring one more in the bottom of the fourth after a single, walk and back-to-back BYU fielding errors for an 11-5 advantage.
The Wolverines scored their 12th run of the evening in the following inning after a double and RBI single.
Unable to score in three-consecutive innings, BYU found a way to put up a fight during the top of the seventh. Facing an 0-2 count after two fouled bunt attempts, Lauren Flanders dropped a double into left center. Lambert then hit a two-RBI triple off the wall in right, taking the score to 12-7.
Agbayani homered to left center on the first pitch she saw, a two-run shot that scored Lambert, before a solo homer by Zavodnik took the score to 12-10, but it was not enough as Owens then flied out to conclude the game.
On Deck
The Cougars will travel to face No. 1/2 Oklahoma for a three-game series from April 11-13 at Love’s Field in Norman, with all three games streamed on SoonerVision on ESPN+. The first matchup against the Sooners will begin at 6 pm. CDT on Thursday, April 11.