SAN DIEGO – After shutting out Harvard 2-0, BYU softball fell 6-0 to Long Beach State in the doubleheader at the San Diego Classic II Thursday afternoon.

“I thought both of the pitchers we faced today did a nice job," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "We struggled at the plate today, but some of that credit goes to Long Beach State's pitcher for a great game. We will be back at it tomorrow and have a better day."

BYU (16-11) totaled 10 hits on the day with just two total runs. The Cougars’ errors, especially the two against Long Beach State, proved to be costly. McKenna Bull let the pitching effort with six strikeouts and two walks on the day. The team struggled at the plate with no player totaling more than two hits. The highlight of the doubleheader was freshman pitcher Olivia Sanchez's career-high six strikeouts in the shutout of Harvard.

Game one

Out-hitting Harvard (8-7) 8-3, BYU took the first game of the twinbill 2-0. It's the seventh shutout of the season for the Cougars. Sanchez threw a career-high six strikeouts in the win with just one walk. The two RBI in the game came from Lauren Bell and Libby Sugg.

After three scoreless innings, the Cougars scored the first run of the game in the top of the fourth. With Alexa Strid on third, Bell doubled down the right field line to bring in the run, putting BYU up 1-0 over Harvard.

In the following inning, Sugg hit her 13th home run of the season, a solo bomb over left field. The one-run homer extended the Cougars’ lead to 2-0.

Tough pitching from Sanchez held off a late rally, sealing the 2-0 shutout.

BOX SCORE: BYU vs. Harvard

Game two

After shutting out Harvard, BYU was shutout by Long Beach State (16-9) 6-0 in the second game of the doubleheader. The Cougars tallied just two hits in the loss along with two errors. Bull had three strikeouts and one walk, while the two hits in the game came from Madison Merrell and Emilee Erickson.

The second game of the day was another low-scoring contest. Long Beach State scored one run in the top of the second on a solo home run over left field.

Following four scoreless innings, the 49ers went on a scoring barrage to develop a large lead over the Cougars. With the bases loaded, a single brought home one run. The other four runs scored in the inning were unearned due to a throwing error. Long Beach State would end up winning 6-0.

BOX SCORE: BYU vs. Long Beach State

The Cougars are back in action on Friday with another doubleheader in the San Diego Classic II. They will play No. 22/24 Fresno State at 4:30 p.m. PDT before playing San Diego State at 7 p.m. PDT. Live stats will be available for both games on the BYU schedule page.

PROVO, Utah – After defeating Utah on Tuesday, BYU softball will travel to San Diego to participate in the San Diego Classic II from Thursday to Saturday.

This is the last tournament of the season for BYU. The best tournament so far for the Cougars was the DeMarini Classic in Las Vegas in February where they finished 4-1. On the year, BYU boasts a win against then-No.15 Arizona back on March 3 along with four run-rule wins. The Cougars are fresh off of a 5-4 win against the Utes in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.

BYU game notes

Harvard | Thursday, March 17, 10:30 a.m. PDT
Harvard softball has played just 14 games so far this season with an 8-6 record. On Tuesday, Harvard split two games, winning 6-5 over Fairleigh Dickinson. In 2015, the Crimson finished with a 23-21 record, including a 13-7 mark in conference play. This is the first meeting between BYU and Harvard in softball.

Long Beach State | Thursday, March 17, 1 p.m. PDT
The 49ers have tallied a 15-9 record so far in 2016. In five games, Long Beach State has won the game due to the mercy rule. Back in 2015, the 49ers finished with a 28-24 record, going 15-6 in the Big West Conference. BYU has a 3-3 overall record against Long Beach State, the Cougars taking the 2-1 win in 2015.

No. 22/24 Fresno State | Friday, March 18, 4:30 p.m. PDT
In 2016, the Bulldogs have compiled a 15-6-1 record, including two wins against top-25 teams and a tie against then-No. 22 Oregon State. Fresno State is currently ranked No. 22 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll. BYU last faced Fresno State in the 2015 NCAA tournament, resulting in a 8-7 win for the Cougars.

San Diego State | Friday, March 18, 7 p.m. PDT
The 13-9 San Diego State Aztecs are fresh off of a 1-2 weekend, including two games that got cancelled. On the season, BYU's former Mountain West Conference foe has two wins against top-25 teams Cal and Texas A&M. SDSU advanced to the NCAA Los Angeles Regional in 2015. Since the Cougars left the MWC, they have a 1-3 record against the Aztecs, the last win coming in 2015 with a 3-1 decision.

UC Santa Barbara | Saturday, March 19, 11:30 a.m. PDT
After 23 games, the Gauchos are 13-10 in 2016, currently on a two-game losing streak. They have run-ruled three teams this season. Their best streak came earlier in March when they won four games in a row. BYU last beat UC Santa Barbara in 2015 with a 16-4 win.

Live stats will be available for all five games on the BYU schedule page.