MORAGA, Calif. – With a win Friday, BYU softball earned the series win against Saint Mary’s after splitting the doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, winning the first game 3-2 and dropping the second 2-0.

"Taking two of the three games to win the series is big for us," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "Saint Mary's played well today and every ball we hit was right at them. Our pitching was strong we just couldn’t put runs on the board in the second game."

Game One

Game Highlights:

• Emilee Erickson tallied two runs in the game including her sixth homer of the season
• BYU pitcher Autumn Moffat earned her 11th win of the season and struck out the side in the bottom of the third inning

Player Highlights:

• Emilee Erickson: 1-2, 2R, 1RBI, 1 HR, 1 HBP
• Lexi Tarrow: 1-3, 1R, 1RBI
• Autumn Moffat: W (11-10), 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3H, 1BB, 4K

BYU got on the board first in the top of the second inning. With runners on third and second, Lexi Tarrow hit a ball softly in the infield and made it to first on a throwing error by the third baseman. Brooke Hill made it home to give BYU the advantage 1-0.

Erickson increased the Cougar lead in the top of the six, blasting a ball over the fence, making the score 2-0. With two outs, Tarrow sent a ball to the outfield to get on base and stole second with Marissa Chavez batting. Chavez singled to right field and Tarrow made it home for a 3-0 lead.

Saint Mary’s fought back in the bottom of the seventh, rallying for two runs to make it a one-run game. But the Cougars held on and came away with the 3-2 win.

Game Two

Player Highlights:

• Marissa Chavez: 2-3
• Brooke Vander Heide: 2-3
• Arissa Paulson: L (13-10), 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 K

In the second game of the doubleheader, after two scoreless innings, the Gaels put a run on the board. The two teams fought it out, keeping the game at 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth frame when Saint Mary’s scored another run to make the score 2-0.

In the top of the seventh, BYU threatened to score as Chavez and Vander Heide got on base. However, Rylee Jensen flew out to left field to end the game and Saint Mary’s won 2-0. 

BYU returns home for a game against Colorado State on Monday, May 6, with the first pitch at 2:30 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast on BYUtv.

PROVO, Utah – Coming off a 4-0 week, the BYU softball team will host the annual Deseret First Duel against Utah on Wednesday before heading to Saint Mary’s for a conference series in Moraga, California. 

BYU concludes its 10-game homestand with a game against Utah. The last time the Utes traveled to Provo, the Cougars won 4-3. The game will begin at 6 p.m. MT and a live stream on BYUtv Digital. 

The Cougars will travel to Moraga, California, to play West Coast Conference foe, Saint Mary’s. The Gaels are coming off a sweep at Loyola Marymount. BYU will play on Friday, May 3 at 3 p.m. PT followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, Mary 4 at 12 and 2 p.m. PT. 

Opponent Outlook

Utah | Wednesday, May 1 | 6 p.m. MDT | BYUtv Digital

• The Utes hold a 15-32 record with a 4-14 record in the Pac-12 Conference. 

• Last season in the annual Deseret First Duel, BYU beat Utah in Salt Lake City 5-2. 

• This will be the 54th meeting between the two teams with the Cougars tallying 34 wins to Utah’s 19.

•Head Coach Amy Hogue begins her 12th season as the Utes head coach with a 331-309-1 overall record.

Saint Mary’s | Friday, May 3 at 3 p.m.; Saturday, May 4 at 12 & 2 p.m. 

• The Toreros currently have a 15-34 record and are 3-12 in conference after falling to LMU last weekend, including a 15 inning contest.

• This will be the 24th meeting between the two teams with the Cougars holding the advantage at 22-1 after sweeping the Gaels last season. BYU’s only loss came in 2017 at Saint Mary’s with a 1-0 score.

• Sonja Garnett enters her 1st season as the Gaels head coach after four seasons at the Academy of Art.

BYU Storylines

DESERET FIRST DUEL. The Cougars are set to host Utah in the annual Deseret First Duel on Wednesday, May 1 at 6 p.m. MT.  This is the 12th year of the Deseret First Duel series with Utah already clinching the overall trophy for this year.

CLOSING IN ON BYU RECORDS. While many BYU players are making their way up the BYU record books, senior Libby Sugg is closing in on BYU’s all-time records. Currently No. 2 in both doubles with 46 and RBI at 206. Sugg is six doubles away from holding the BYU record. She is also No. 5 in homers (48) and total bases (401). Redshirt sophomore Arissa Paulson has also made a dent in the charts, currently holding the No. 8 spot in complete games (28) and shutouts (8).

RYLEE JENSEN. Rylee Jensen has proved to be invaluable asset for the Cougars this season. The junior is currently ranked No. 26 nationally in batting average (.426), No. 52 in slugging percentage (.757), No. 67 in total bases (103) and is No. 1 in the WCC in seven different categories. She currently leads the team in batting average, runs scored (37), hits (58), RBI (28), home runs (10), slugging percentage (.757), on base percentage (.480), total bases (103), walks (15) and stolen bases (5).

THRID WCC AWARD SWEEP.  Rylee Jensen and Arissa Paulson earned the West Coast Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week awards, respectively. This is the third time that BYU was swept the weekly awards. Jensen and Autumn Moffat received the award in week two while Libby Sugg and Paulson earned the award in week eight. BYU has now been awarded eleven times this season by the WCC.