CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Freshman Ashley Thompson led BYU in a victory over reigning Atlantic 10 Conference Champion Fordham and an extra inning loss to Oklahoma State Thursday in the Mary Nutter Classic.

“We were one pitch away from getting the job done in game one and just couldn’t hold on,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “It was disappointing to drop the game in extra innings, but it was nice to rebound in game two with a strong effort from Ashley Thompson from the mound and at the plate.”

Thompson was 4-for-7 with five RBIs including her first career home run against Oklahoma State (8-3). Thompson (3-2) also earned a win from the circle over Fordham (6-6) while striking out six. 

Lauren Bell was also key for BYU (6-8) hitting 4-for-9 with two runs and an RBI. McKenna Bull (1-4) had another strong outing going all eight innings with five strikeouts and allowing only three earned runs in the loss to Oklahoma State.

“Both of our freshman pitchers, Ashley and McKenna, did a great job for us on the mound today,” Eakin said.

Game one

Oklahoma State struck first in the top of the first inning after a walk, a passed ball and a steal put a runner on third and a single brought her home. BYU loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning but was unable to put a runner across.

With runners on first and second for Oklahoma State, Katie Manuma caught a line drive and then threw to second for the inning-ending double play. The Cougars loaded the bases again in the bottom of the frame and used a sacrifice fly from Coco Tauali’i to score Sydney Broderick and tie the game at one.

The Cowgirls answered by scoring two runs in the top of the third with three singles and an error to give them the 3-1 lead. The Cougars loaded the bases yet again in the bottom of the third, but were unable to cross a runner.

Oklahoma State threatened to score in the top of the fourth with the bases loaded, but Manuma yet again caught a line drive and tagged her base for an inning-ending double play.

Both teams remained scoreless until Thompson belted a three-run home run, the first of her career, to put the Cougars ahead 4-3 going into the top of the seventh. Oklahoma State answered by loading the bases and getting a two out single to tie the game at four.

The game went into a tiebreaker in the eighth and the Cowgirls were able to capitalize with a two-run home run to take a 6-4 lead. BYU was only able to score one to make the final score 6-5.

Game two

The Cougars started the second game well with Thompson retiring the first three batters. Three straight singles by Bell, McKenzie St. Clair and Thompson scored one in the bottom of the frame. St. Clair then scored on a wild pitch to give BYU a 2-0 lead.

After a scoreless second inning, Thompson and Broderick singled followed by a walk to Mercedes O’Connor to load the bases. Carly Duckworth singled to center field to score Thompson and Broderick and give the Cougars a 4-0 lead.

Bell got on in the bottom of the fourth after a dropped fly ball to center field. She then stole second and Thompson drove her in for the second time of the day with a single up the middle to make it 5-0.

Fordham closed the gap slightly in the top of the fifth scoring two runs with a single down the left field line to make it 5-2. The Rams loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the seventh, but Thompson struck out the last batter looking for the win.

BYU returns to action tomorrow for its final matchup of the Mary Nutter Classic against No. 2/3 Washington at 8 p.m. PST.

PROVO, Utah – BYU will face two ranked teams in the Mary Nutter Classic beginning Thursday in Cathedral City, Calif.

Mary Nutter Classic
Feb 20-22
Big League Dreams Complex
Cathedral City, Calif.

Virginia
Thursday, Feb 20 at 10 a.m. PST

No. 24 Notre Dame
Thursday, Feb 20 at 12:30 p.m. PST

Oklahoma State
Friday, Feb 21 at 10:30 a.m. PST

Fordham
Friday, Feb 21 at 1 p.m. PST

No. 2/3 Washington
Saturday, Feb 22 at 8 p.m. PST

BYU
The Cougars had a great offensive output last week scoring 34 runs in their five games, but lost their final three games in the Easton Desert Classic. Katie Manuma led the Cougars with a .470 batting average, three doubles, a home run and eight RBIs. Freshman Ashley Thompson also had a great week at the plate going 9-for-11 with scoring six runs to go along with five RBIs. 

Virginia
Virginia has endured a rough start to their season losing all three games they played last week to drop to 1-7 on the year. They are led at the plate by Marcy Bowdren’s .438 batting average to go along with two home runs and five RBIs. She is joined by Madison Labsher and Iyana Hughes as above .300 hitters. In the circle they have started Aimee Chapdelai in all eight of their games. She is 1-7 with an 8.28 ERA and eight strikeouts.

Notre Dame
Notre Dame won twice against former No. 23/25 Lousiville last week in Jacksonville, Fla., to boost themselves to a No. 24 ranking heading into the Mary Nutter Classic. They have been strong from the circle led by senior Laura Winter and sophomore Allie Rhodes. They have allowed 15 runs on the year and only 10 earned. At the plate, Megan Sorlie is hitting .538 in five starts and Emilee Koerner is hitting .435 with four home runs, two doubles and a triple.

Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State went undefeated last week in the UTSA Softball Classic to rebound from a 2-3 opening weekend. They too have been strong in the circle led by senior Simone Freeman’s .067 ERA and 65 strikeouts. Junior Shelby Davis has started the season hitting .487 and five RBIs. In all the Cowgirls have five batters hitting above .300. This will be the third straight year the schools will meet in the Mary Nutter Classic. The last two have ended with a score of 3-2 favoring Oklahmoa State.

Fordham
Fordham has started the year 5-3 with wins over Kansas and Ole Miss. This will be the first ever meeting between BYU and Fordham. Gabby Luety has started every game for the Rams and leads them with a .353 batting average to go along with five RBIs. Michele Daubman has been their primary pitcher in the circle and maintains a 2.40 ERA over 30 innings pitched.

Washington
Washington has been strong all season on their way to being ranked No. 2 by ESPN/ASA poll and No. 3 by the NFCA. They have allowed 11 runs through 10 games to go along with 64 strikouts. Seniors Bryana Walker and Kaitlin Inglesby are their primary options in the circle. All 10 of 13 players that have started a game for the Huskies are hitting above .300. As a team they have scored 94 runs and hit 13 home runs.