BYU wasted little time getting runs on the board. After Gianna Mares sat UH down in 1-2-3 fashion with eight pitches in the top of the first inning, the Cougars matched a season-high five runs in the bottom of the frame off four hits.
Hailey Shuler and Ilove’a Brittingham each smacked doubles, resulting in a combined three RBI, before Tristen Turlington got involved with an RBI-single. After batting through the order, the Cougars jumped out to a 5-0 lead on Houston.
UH responded in the following frame with a bloop RBI-single and a double down the left field line to plate two runs.
The Cougars of Provo extended their lead off a solo homer to left by Maddie Udall-Woolley, her second long ball of the season in the second, increading the BYU lead to 6-2.
In the bottom of the third, Turlington’s base hit and Lexie Bennett reaching on an error set up back-to-back RBI-singles by Lily Owens and Shuler.
The Cougars of Houston threatened with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth frame, but Mares overcame that with a strikeout to get out of the jam, keeping the BYU lead at six runs.
After a scoreless fourth, Houston led off the fifth with a solo blast to right center, making the score 8-3 for the Cougars in blue.
UH continued to chip into its deficit in the sixth, tacking on three runs on four singles and two walks. BYU escaped the top of the frame still up 8-6.
The Cougars replicated their five-run first by tallying five more runs in the fifth. The inning featured a triple by Rita Tavita followed by a Bre Townsend RBI-single on the next pitch. A two-run double by Danica Acosta and an RBI-single by Owens, who later scored on a wild pitch in the frame, gave BYU the added insurance runs to go up by seven.
Houston cut into the seven-run lead with a home run to center and a three-run double four batters later. That was it for the late push by UH as BYU closed things out for a 13-10 triumph.
On Deck
Game two of the three-game stand against Houston will be back at Gail Miller Field on Friday at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
