OGDEN, Utah – Freshman pitcher McKenna Bull earned the victory in her hometown, leading BYU to a 6-1 victory over in-state rival Weber State.

“It was another solid win for us,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “We played a complete game and did a nice job to get the win today. We just need to continue this momentum.”

Bull (13-9) pitched six innings and struck out eight batters while allowing only one earned run. Bull now has 159 strikeouts on the season, passing teammate Tori Almond for the eighth-best strikeout season at BYU. Almond entered in relief of Bull in the seventh and struck out all three batters she faced. Freshman second baseman McKenzie St. Clair led BYU (25-21, 6-2 WCC) at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI.

The Cougars put the Wildcats (20-24, 2-9 Big Sky) away early with the first three batters loading the bases for Katie Manuma. Manuma then hit a sharp grounder to third and the throw to home sailed high to allow Sydney Broderick and Lauren Bell to score and give BYU the 2-0 lead. After Ashley Thompson reached on a fielder’s choice to put runners on the corners, St. Clair singled to center field to make it 3-0 in favor of the Cougars.

The Wildcats responded with a walk and a bunt single back to the pitcher to put runners on first and second with no outs. Brooke Silva then doubled to center field to score the lone run for Weber State. Bull settled in and struck out the next two batters, getting the last batter to pop up to Broderick in foul territory.

The Cougars couldn’t get anything started in the second, but Bull remained hot, striking out two more and catching a pop-up to retire all three batters she faced in the bottom of the frame. It was a similar story in the third, with BYU only putting one runner on in its half of the inning before Bull held the Wildcats off the base paths, including one more strikeout.

St. Clair began the fourth inning with a stand-up double to center field. Mercedes O’Connor then singled to left field, and Carly Duckworth was hit by a pitch to load the bases again for the Cougars. Broderick singled to center field to bring in St. Clair, and an error by the center fielder allowed O’Connor to cross, making it 5-1.

After a scoreless fifth inning, Duckworth singled to left field and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Ashlee Robinson and a groundout by Broderick. The Wildcat’s second baseman was unable to pick up a soft grounder in time to throw out Bell at first, allowing Duckworth to score and give BYU the 6-1 lead. After a pop-up to third and another Bull strikeout in the bottom of the frame, a soft line drive glanced off Bull’s glove and hit her head in a scary play that ended the inning. She was not injured on the play and was able to walk off the field on her own strength.

The Cougars will head to Stockton, Calif., to take on Pacific in an important three-game conference series. The series begins with a doubleheader Friday at 4 p.m. PDT at Bill Simoni Field and will wrap up with a game at noon on Saturday.

PROVO, Utah – BYU softball will wrap up its three game series with Weber State Wednesday in Ogden, Utah, before traveling to Stockton, Calif., to take on Pacific in West Coast Conference play.

The Cougars and the Wildcats have split their first two meetings. Weber State came from behind to beat BYU 4-3 in St. George, Utah, during the opening game of the Red Desert Classic. The Cougars then beat Weber State 7-3 at home leading throughout the game.

BYU’s meeting with Pacific will be pivotal in deciding the eventual champion of the WCC. BYU currently leads the WCC with a .750 winning percentage in conference play while Pacific is tied for second with Saint Mary’s with a .667 winning percentage. The Cougars and the Tigers are the only two teams that have won every series in conference action.

BYU (24-21, 6-2 WCC)
After wrapping up their finals last week, the Cougars swept Loyola Marymount 13-5 and 8-1 in a Friday doubleheader. Rain cancelled the final game of the series on Saturday after BYU grabbed a 6-0 lead in the second inning.

Redshirt freshman Mercedes O’Connor led the team from the plate finishing with a .625 average with seven RBI, two runs, two singles, a double, a triple and a home run. She has now improved her season batting average to .300 in her 30 game appearances.

Tori Almond improved to 6-6 on the year with a win in the nightcap against Loyola Marymount. She pitched all seven innings and tied her season high with eight strike outs. She has a 2.37 ERA and 102 strikeouts this season.

Weber State (20-23, 2-9 Big Sky)
Weber State lost two home games against Sacramento State on Friday dropping to 20-23 on the year. After a successful start to their season, the Wildcats have struggled since beginning Big Sky play having lost 13 of their last 16.

Senior Brooke Silva is the top performer at the plate for the Wildcats with a .347 batting average while adding five home runs. Senior Jasmine Ioane leads the Wildcats with eight home runs and 36 RBI to go with her .314 batting average.

Junior MaCauley Flint is the ace in the circle for the Wildcats holding a 9-8 record with a 2.48 ERA and 138 strikeouts. Ioane adds a 5-6 record with a 3.87 ERA and 37 strikeouts. Senior Kylee Colvin is second on the team with 12 starts in her 21 appearances going 4-5 with a 5.83 ERA.

BYU Series Record vs. Weber St.
Overall Series Record: 2-1
BYU Record in Provo: 2-0
BYU Record in Ogden: 0-0
BYU Record at Neutral Sites: 0-1
BYU Record under Gordon Eakin: 2-1
Longest BYU Win Streak: 1 (2011, 2014)
Longest Weber State Win Streak: 1 (2014)
Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 8 (2011)
Largest Weber State Margin of Victory: 1 (2014)
Most Runs Scored by BYU: 9 (2011)
Most Runs Scored by Weber State: 4 (2014)

Pacific (20-25, 8-4 WCC)
Pacific hosted San Diego in a WCC showdown last week with both teams coming in tied for the top spot in the conference. After letting Saint Mary’s score four runs in the top of the seventh to drop the first game Saturday, the Tigers tightened the screws in the circle to beat the Toreros 2-0 in the nightcap and 3-1 on Sunday.

Senior Taylor Petty has a team high .371 batting average, eight doubles, a triple, 29 RBI and 29 walks. Senior Gabby Goyette adds a .329 average and is tied for a team-high eight stolen bases, while freshman Cassidy Gustafson leads the Tigers with four home runs.

Senior Tori Shepard leads the Tigers in the circle with a 3.45 ERA, an opponent batting average of .268 and 81 strikeouts. Junior Dani Bonnet has a team best 11-7 record in the circle with a 4.55 ERA and 73 strikeouts.

BYU Series Record vs. Pacific
Overall Series Record: 3-1
BYU Record in Provo: 1-0
BYU Record in Stockton: 0-0
BYU Record at Neutral Sites: 2-1
BYU Record under Gordon Eakin: 3-1
Longest BYU Win Streak: 2 (2010-Present)
Longest Pacific Win Streak: 1 (2010)
Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 8 (2004)
Largest Pacific Margin of Victory: 2 (2010)
Most Runs Scored by BYU: 8 (2004)
Most Runs Scored by Pacific: 4 (2010)