PROVO, Utah -- BYU softball swept Loyola Marymount in two games on Friday night winning the first 13-5 in six innings and 8-1 in seven in the nightcap.

Mercedes O'Connor finished the day with seven RBI, driving in a third of BYU's runs in its two victories over LMU. Tori Almond struck out eight and only allowed one run in the nightcap despite two lightning delays.

In the opener, O'Connor led the Cougars to three big innings with five RBI on a two-run homer, a two-run triple and the game-ending double to win 13-5. O'Connor broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth inning with a home run to center that was pushed to right center by the wind. 

"She was dynamic today," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "She had a great day. I'd say the last 15 games she's been hitting the ball well, not like today, but maybe all the hard work is paying off."

In the six-run fifth, Katie Manuma hit a line drive, 3-run home run to center to make it 7-3 before O'Connor drove in two more with a triple to the right-field corner and scoring on a wild pitch for 10-3 advantage.

Loyola Marymount added two runs on a homer of their own in the sixth before the Cougars ended the game in the bottom of the inning. The Lions walked three batters and McKenzie St. Clair doubled in a run before O'Connor doubled in the game-ending run at 13-5.

St. Clair finished 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI and Manuma was 1-for-3 with her three-run homer. Gordy Bravo drove in the other run. Lauren Bell was 2-for-4 and Sydney Broderick scored three runs to keep the Cougar offense rolling.

McKenna Bull earned the win pitching six innings, allowing five runs, eight hits, three strikeouts and a walk.

Game two started late after a 30-minute lightning delay and an extra half hour lightning delay postponed things even later in the third inning. BYU won 8-1 behind a seven inning effort by Tori Almond. She struck out eight, didn't walk any and only gave up six hits and one run.

The Cougars returned to the plate after the second lightning delay and their four-run inning put the Cougars' lead out of reach of the Lions' bats.

Ashley Thompson singled in Gordy Bravo before O'Connor added two more RBI to her tally with a single lined hard off the pitcher. Ashlee Robinson hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Thompson and put BYU up 5-1.

Thompson added another two runs for the Cougars in the bottom of the sixth to make it 8-1. St. Clair was 2-for-3 again with a run scored and an RBI.

BYU will wrap up its series with LMU tomorrow at noon if weather permits. The game will be broadcast live on TheW.tv.

PROVO, Utah – BYU resumes West Coast Conference play this week hosting Loyola Marymount in a three game series at Gail Miller Field.

Due to a strong chance of rain on Saturday, the teams will meet in a doubleheader Friday beginning at 3:30 p.m. MDT with one game scheduled for noon on Saturday.

BYU (22-21, 4-2 WCC)
BYU went undefeated last week winning two against Southern Utah on April 15 before beating Weber State 7-3 on Friday. The Cougars are now over .500 for the first time since they were 4-3 after a win against Portland State on Feb. 14.

Freshman catcher Sydney Broderick continued her hot hitting finishing the week with a .727 average in three games. She also finished with two home runs, six RBI, four runs and a stolen base. She leads the WCC in hits, total bases and is second to teammate Katie Manuma in RBI.

A week after giving up no earned runs, freshman RHP McKenna Bull gave up only one earned run, four hits and struck out 12 in 8.1 innings pitched. She was credited with a win over Southern Utah before getting saves in the other two games. 

Loyola Marymount (20-22, 1-8 WCC)
Although Loyola Marymount was selected to finish second in the West Coast Conference Preseason Poll, injuries have derailed its path to the conference championship. Sophomore ace Sydney Gouveia aggravated a back injury against Saint Mary’s in the conference opener and the Lions have struggled to replace her in the circle.

Senior Meghan Harman leads the team with .358 and a conference-high 10 home runs and 27 RBI. Junior Sterling Shuster adds a .309 average with three home runs and 20 RBI. Both Harman and Shuster homered when the teams met last season.

After the loss of Gouveia, freshman LHP Rachael Farrington has seen the bulk of the pitching load holding a 6-9 record and a 4.25 ERA over a team-high 107.0 innings pitched. Sophomore Stephanie Crist has also seen some work and has a 4.24 ERA over 67.2 innings pitched.