15-hit game leads BYU to first WCC win over SMC 10-6

MORAGA, Calif. – Behind a team effort, BYU softball overcame an early deficit to take down Saint Mary’s 10-6 on Friday night in its first West Coast Conference game of the season.

Game Highlights:

• BYU rallied after falling behind 6-1 in the bottom of the third inning by scoring nine runs in back-to-back innings; first putting up four in the fourth followed by five in the fifth.
• The Cougars had a hitting frenzy, tallying 15 hits in the game. It is the first time the softball team has had 15+ hits in a game since 2019 against SUU when they had 18.
• To go along with the 15 hits, BYU tallied five RBI singles in the game with Huntyr Ava tallying singles in back-to-back innings.

Player Highlights:

• Carley Brown: W (3-2), 4.2 IP, 1ER, 0BB, 2K
• Rylee Jensen: 2-3, R, RBI, BB
• Huntyr Ava: 3-4, RBI, BB
• HannahJo Peterson: 2-5, 2R, RBI
• Kaylee Erickson: 2-3, R

Saint Mary’s (9-15, 0-1 WCC) took an early lead plating a run in the bottom of the first inning. BYU (18-13, 1-0 WCC) quickly answered as Alyssa Podhurcak made it home on a Gaels error to even the score at 1-all.

It wasn’t long before Saint Mary’s scored two runs in the second and three in the third, putting the Cougars behind 6-1.

In the top of the fourth, BYU began its comeback with back-to-back RBI-singles from Violet Zavodnik then Arissa Paulson to bring the score to 6-3. Huntyr Ava followed it up with a single to center field which eventually scored Zavodnik and Paulson on an SMC error to bring the Cougars within one at 6-5.

BYU continued its hit-fest in the top of the fifth with a slew of RBI singles first from Rylee Jensen, then HannahJo Peterson before Zavodnik drew a bases-loaded walk. Ava added another RBI single before Epenesa drove a runner home on a ground out topping the score at 10-6.

Carley Brown and the BYU defense kept the Gaels scoreless in the final two innings, retiring the side in the bottom of the seventh to snatch the Cougars' first WCC win of the year.

The Cougars close out the series against Saint Mary’s on Saturday, April 10 with a doubleheader slated for 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. PDT.