Provo, Utah-Helped by a 12-run fourth inning and a Katie Manuma grand slam, the BYU softball team defeated Snow College 15-6 Thursday at Gail Miller Field for its third win of the fall season.
“I thought the effort was there,” head coach Gordon Eakin said. “I was a little surprised we fell behind, but after that we went another six innings with only one run. Our pitching staff did well in those final innings. It’s easy to get down mentally, but to our offense's credit we didn’t.”
BYU had 14 hits on the night and was led by the top of the lineup in JC Clayton, Bailie Hicken and Marissa Bravo who combined to score six runs and contributed five hits and three walks in the game. Katie Manuma also had a grand slam in the game, while Madisen Robb earned a solo home run.
Snow College attacked early in the top of the first and started the game with three consecutive singles to load the bases. The Badgers managed to bring in five runs on eight hits before BYU could stop the bleeding.
BYU came out swinging in the bottom of the inning in an attempt to cut into the Badger lead. With bases loaded and one out, Megan Arnold reached base on a blooper to shortstop which scored the first BYU run. BYU added one more run in the inning to cut the Badger lead to three.
BYU and Snow College both threatened to score in the second and third innings but the score held to 5-2.
In the top of the fourth, Cougar pitcher Caroline Umphlett made her first appearance of the fall season and retired the first three batters she faced, with one strikeout in the inning.
With runners on the corners in the bottom of the fourth, Hicken stole to second and forced a Badger throwing error, which allowed Clayton to score from third. The run started a 12-run rally in the inning to bring the score to 14-5. The Cougars scored seven more runs, aided by a double from Marissa Bravo and singles from Anna Hudson, Lacey Millett, Clayton and Hicken, before Manuma smashed the ball over the center-field fence for a grand slam.
BYU held Snow College to only one hit in the top of the fifth and added a run in the bottom of the inning. Robb hit a solo homerun to lead off the inning and bring the score to 15-5 in favor of the Cougars.
Snow College pushed in one run in the top of the sixth, but that’s all it would get, falling to BYU 15-6.
BYU plays next on Friday at 3 p.m. MDT at Gail Miller Field against Salt Lake Community College. The game is again free to fans.