TEMPE, Ariz. – McKenna Bull tied a career high with 14 strikeouts to push BYU softball to a 5-4 win over Wisconsin in extra innings at the Kajikawa Classic on Friday.

In the top of the ninth, two strikeouts from Bull and a groundout to third baseman Coco Tauali’i Bond quickly finished the at bat for Wisconsin. After a single from Lauren Bell in the bottom of the inning advanced Allie Hancock to third base, Alexa Strid put down a squeeze bunt to bring Hancock across the plate for the game-winning run. 

BOX SCORE: BYU vs. Wisconsin

“Our team showed a lot of character fighting through nine innings, fighting their way back into the game,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “McKenna threw very well to keep us in the game and give us a chance to come back and grind out the win. It was one of those games where you just have to stay with it. We executed very well in the extra innings, which is ultimately what gave us the win.”

BYU (2-1) and Wisconsin (1-1) finished the game equal in hits with nine each. The Badgers committed three errors in their loss, two of which helped the Cougars score in the fifth inning.

For the seventh time in her career, Bull (2-1) recorded double-digit strikeouts, tying her career high of 14. Bull also had no walks in the win, which is the first time BYU has not given up any walks in a game since Bull had zero bases on balls against Oregon State in 2015.

Sophomore Madison Merrell led the team on offense with three hits on four at bats, including one RBI, a double and a run. The three hits and one RBI tie career highs for Merrell. Emilee Erickson and Strid each had an RBI as well. Erickson contributed two hits in the win.

After two scoreless innings, Wisconsin struck first in the third inning, scoring two runs. The Badgers followed that up in the fourth inning with another run while still keeping the Cougars from crossing the plate.

In the bottom of the fifth, BYU got on the board with two runs. A Wisconsin error caused both Lexi Tarrow and Merrell to advance bases in one play and then eventually to score when Libby Sugg's hit to leftield was misplayed by the Badgers.

Merrell came in clutch for the Cougars again in the sixth inning. A big double brought in Bond to tie the game 3-3. Neither team was able to break the tie by the end of the seventh, pushing the game into extra innings.

In the eighth inning, both Wisconsin and BYU scored one run. The Cougars scored when Erickson’s single brought Bond home to tie it up 4-4 and extend the game to the ninth inning.

BYU finishes off the Kajikawa Classic on Saturday with a doubleheader against Creighton and No. 24 Notre Dame at 9 a.m. MST and 11:30 a.m. MST, respectively. Live stats are available for both games on the BYU softball schedule page.

PROVO, Utah – BYU softball kicks off the 2016 season with five games at the Kajikawa Classic this weekend, starting against San Jose State on Thursday at 2 p.m. MST.

The three-day tournament is hosted by Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. from Feb. 11-13. The Cougars will play five games at the Tempe Sports Complex.

BYU Kajikawa Classic Game Notes

BYU
The Cougars are coming off of a 40-14 season and their second-consecutive WCC championship. BYU also has 11-straight NCAA tournament appearances. In 2015, the Cougars finished the season at the Eugene Regional where they went 1-2 with the one win coming against Fresno State. BYU was voted as the preseason WCC favorites in the 2016 WCC preseason poll.

San Jose State | Thursday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. MST | Live stats
The Spartans finished with a 37-19 record in 2015 behind their best hitting team in the history of their program with a .350 batting average, 357 runs on 534 base hits and a .482 slugging percentage, all single-season school records. San Jose State had a final RPI ranking of 63 out of 295 and finished in third place in the MWC with a 17-7 conference record.

No. 8/9 Tennessee | Thursday, Feb. 11, at 4:30 p.m. MST | Live stats | Streaming audio
After finishing the 2015 season with a 47-17 record and a trip to the seventh Women’s College World Series appearance in program history, the Vols return nine players to make another impressive run. They are ranked No. 8 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Softball Coaches Preseason Poll and No. 9 on the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll. Tennessee finished in fifth place in the SEC with a 15-9 conference record.

Wisconsin | Friday, Feb. 12, at 11:30 a.m. MST | Live stats
The Badgers struggled in 2015, finishing with a 21-31 overall record and a 5-17 Big Ten record, putting them in 13th place. They set several all-time team records, including the highest on-base percentage in school history with .389. The 2015 team also earned the most walks, setting a new school season record with 176, and snatched the most stolen bases with 118.

Creighton | Saturday, Feb. 13, at 9 a.m. MST | Live stats
The Bluejays finished in seventh place in the Big East in 2015 with a 22-21 overall record, 7-12 in conference. They have two All-Big East selections returning this season and seven freshmen. Creighton loses Liz Dike, who led the team in most statistical categories.

No. 24 Notre Dame | Saturday, Feb. 13, at 11:30 a.m. MST | Live stats
The Fighting Irish are ranked No. 24 in the 2016 USA Today/NFCA Division I Softball Coaches Preseason poll and sit just outside of the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll with 42 points. The Irish capped off the 2015 season with a 42-15 mark and their 17th-consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.

Results will be updated each day on the BYU softball page. All other information on the Kajikawa Classic can be found at this link.