PUERTO VALLARTA, Mex. — BYU softball dropped its first game of the season in an 8-6 contest to Boise State in game three of the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge at Nancy Almaraz Field on Friday night.
The Cougars (5-1, 0-0 Big 12) surrendered three runs in the second inning and played from behind the remainder of the game, never drawing closer than one run.
Player Highlights
- Ilove’a Brittingham: 1-4, HR, 3 RBI
- Danica Acosta, 1-3, 2B, RBI
- Lauren Flanders: 1-1, RBI
- Keila Kamoku: 1-3, 2B
Boise State scored first, capitalizing on a pair of BYU errors to plate three in the top of the second inning.
The Broncos tacked on two more in the third, leading off with a walk, single to right and double to right center, making it 5-0, BSU.
Answering back in their half of the third inning, the Cougars had Lauren Flanders draw a one-out walk before Hailey Morrow singled down the left field line. Lily Owens then singled on a dribbler off the end of her bat, scoring Flanders on a Boise State throwing error. Ilove’a Brittingham launched a three-run homer over the left field fence two pitches later, the first of her collegiate career, cutting the Bronco lead to one, at 5-4.
BSU added back to its lead in the fourth, stringing together a walk, double and single all with no outs to lead 7-4.
BYU again responded in the home half of the frame with Keila Kamoku doubling down the left field line and moving to third on a Miranda Mansfield slap bunt. Flanders would bring Kamoku home on a slap single past the pitcher, and it was 7-5, Boise State.
The Broncos threatened with the bases loaded and just one out in the top of the fifth inning, but only plated one on a hit batter, gaining an 8-5 advantage.
Danica Acosta led off with a double to left in the bottom of the fifth, but Brittingham just missed her second homer of the night, and the deficit remained at three.
Brittingham erased a single in the sixth, catching a Boise State runner stealing and preparing BYU to do damage in the bottom half of the inning in which it sent seven batters to the plate. The Cougars loaded the bases on a trio of walks, scoring one when Acosta was hit by a pitch, but a groundout ended the potential attack a a batter later.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, BYU had two runners in scoring position, but another groundout halted the Cougars’ comeback effort, sealing their first loss of the 2025 campaign, 8-6.
On Deck
BYU will conclude Puerto Vallarta College Challenge play on Saturday, Feb. 15 with a doubleheader against Indiana and Florida International beginning at 1 p.m. CST. Both games will be streamed on FloCollege.