CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Seniors led the day as No. 23 BYU defeated No. 11/12 Georgia before the Cougars dropped the game against No. 9 Arizona, 9-0 (6) in a doubleheader on Thursday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

“We played very well against Georgia but couldn’t sustain it against Arizona in game two,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “We have been playing one top team after another and the level of emotion every game demands can get to you. (Pitcher) Danielle O’Toole for Arizona is as good as they come in the circle. She had total command today and kept us off balance.”

From the circle, senior McKenna Bull dominated in the win over Georgia, throwing a shutout to improve her season record to 5-0. Senior second baseman Lauren Bell went 3 for 4 on the day with two runs and three walks. Senior first baseman Ashley Thompson had two RBI off a home run against Georgia to lead the team in the doubleheader. As a team, BYU had just one error in the two games combined.

Game one

The BYU seniors led the team to a 4-0 win over No. 11/12 Georgia (12-1, 0-0 SEC) in the first game of the doubleheader. Pitching a complete game, Bull had five strikeouts in her shutout victory. This game was her 73rd complete game of her career, one shy of tying Paige Affleck.

Bell led the team on offense and defense, reaching base every time she was at the plate with two walks and two hits to go with her two runs. At second base, she had three putouts and four assists. The third senior who made an impact was Thompson, who went 1 for 2 with two walks and a two-run homer.

The Cougars got going early, starting off the first inning at bat. Thompson drilled a two-run homer over centerfield to take an early 2-0 lead over the Bulldogs. In the bottom frame, the defense faced two runners on base, but Bull caught the batter looking for a strikeout and the third out.

In the top of the third, BYU brought two more runs home. Libby Sugg hit a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Bell time to run home. The second run was scored by Thompson stealing home after Caitlyn Larsen Alldredge was walked. The Cougars led 4-0 after three innings.

Georgia got runners on base in the last four innings, but Bull and the BYU defense held strong to pull off the 4-0 shutout and the upset.

BYU vs. Georgia Box Score

Game two

The pitching of No. 9 Arizona (12-0, 0-0 Pac-12) was too much for BYU to overcome, falling 9-0 in six innings in the second game of the doubleheader. The Cougars notched just three hits in the loss to the Wildcats’ eight. BYU’s pitching duties were split between Arissa Paulson, Kerisa Viramontes and Arianna Paulson.

The Wildcats struck first with three runs in the bottom of the first. The Cougars remained down 3-0 after the Arizona pitcher Danielle O’Toole notched all six outs in the first two innings herself with strikeouts. However, Arissa Paulson got going in the bottom of the second, getting two strikeouts of her own.

In the bottom of the third, Arizona scored one run off of a sacrifice fly to right field, increasing its lead to 4-0. They added two more in the bottom of the fourth off of wild pitches from Paulson. Viramontes came in with two outs and two runners on. One more run scored before the inning ended, increasing the Wildcats lead to 7-0 over the Cougars after four innings.

A single from Briielle Breland led off the fifth inning, followed by a double from Alldredge. The rally fell short, however, as the next three batters were retired in order.

To end the game, Arizona had a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to enforce the run-rule. BYU fell 9-0 in six innings.

BYU vs. Arizona Box Score

The tournament continues for BYU on Friday with matchups against Louisville and LIU Brooklyn at 10 a.m. PST and 3 p.m. PST, respectively. Live stats will be available on the BYU softball schedule page.

PROVO, Utah – Following a successful week at the DeMarini Desert Classic, No. 23 BYU softball prepares to face the top competition in the nation at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic this Thursday through Saturday in Cathedral City, California.

BYU Game Notes

The Cougars (5-2, 0-0 West Coast Conference) will face three undefeated and ranked teams this week along with two other matchups. On Thursday, BYU will play a doubleheader against No. 11/12 Georgia and No. 9 Arizona starting at 10 a.m. PST. At 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. PST on Friday, the Cougars will play Louisville and LIU Brooklyn. The tournament will wrap up for BYU with No. 18 Texas A&M on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. PST.

All games will be played at the Big League Dreams Complex in Cathedral City, California. Links for live stats will be available on the BYU softball schedule page. Fans can also create an account on FloSoftball to stream the games live.

BYU Storylines

• In the three games played at the DeMarini Desert Classic last week, BYU went undefeated. The Cougars beat Hawai’i, Texas State and Nevada. The remaining two games scheduled were canceled due to rain.
• BYU will once again face three ranked teams in a tournament. In Cathedral City, BYU will face No. 11/12Georgia, No. 9Arizona and No. 18Texas A&M. They will also play LIU Brooklyn and Louisville. The game against the Cardinals is a rematch of the game the Cougars won at the 2016 NCAA Columbia Regionals.
• BYU moved up two spots inthe USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll this week to No. 23. Before entering the poll last week, the Cougars hadn’t been ranked since week 3 in 2011.BYU is also two out of the ESPN.com/USA Softball top 25 with 15 votes.
• Freshmen Rylee Jensen and Kerisa Viramontes swept the WCC weekly awards in the second week of play. Outfielder Jensen went 7/10 in the three wins last week, including a record-tying 3 doubles vs. Nevada. Over the week she had 6 doubles. Viramontes threw a no-hitter in her collegiate debut against Nevada. In the 8-0 run-rule victory over the Wolf Pack, she pitched 5 innings, with3 strikeouts and 1 walk. She is the second BYU freshman to throw a no-hitter after Paige Affleck in 2008.
• After the team had just one home run following the first week of play, BYU hit five homers last week at the DeMarini Desert Classic. Caitlyn Larsen Alldredge got the party started with a home run in the first game against Hawai’i. Ashley Thompson hit two bombs against Texas State, while sophomores Lexi Tarrow and Allie Hancock both hit the first home runs of their careers against Nevada in the same inning.

Opponents Outlook

No. 11/12 Georgia (12-0, 0-0 SEC) | Thursday, Feb. 23 | 10 a.m. PST

• The Bulldogs are undefeated so far in 2017, all 12 of their wins coming at home. Nine of their wins are run-rule victories.
• In 2016, Georgia advanced to the NCAA Women’s College World Series and was knocked out by losses to Auburn and LSU.
• BYU has not defeated Georgia in two tries. Both contests were in the 2008 NCAA Regional in North Carolina.
   

No. 9 Arizona (11-0, 0-0 Pac-12) | Thursday, Feb. 23 | 12:30 p.m. PST

• After playing all 11 games at home, the Wildcats own a perfect record, their best win coming over No. 21 Baylor. They have five mercy-rule wins.
• In 2016, Arizona reached NCAA Super Regionals but fell to Auburn.
• Arizona leads the all-time series 6-1 over BYU. The Cougars’ first win over the Wildcats came in Tucson last season, a 4-2 win.
   

Louisville (7-2, 0-0 ACC) | Friday, Feb. 24 | 10 a.m. PST

• Like the Cougars, the Cardinals have started the season on the road, earning a 7-2 record.
• The last game between BYU and Louisville came in the 2016 NCAA Columbia Regional. The Cougars’ 4-2 win knocked the Cardinals out of the tournament. BYU leads the all-time series 2-1.
   

LIU Brooklyn (3-6, 0-0 NEC) | Friday, Feb. 24 | 3 p.m. PST

• The Blackbirds have started 2017 on the road, playing all nine games in the state of Florida.
• In 2016, LIU Brooklyn advanced to the NCAA Baton Rogue Regionals after winning the Northeast Conference tournament.
• The Cougars edge the Blackbirds 2-1 in the series history. The last win for BYU came in 2012, an 11-4 win at this same tournament in Cathedral City, California.
   

No. 18 Texas A&M (10-0, 0-0 SEC) | Saturday, Feb. 25 | 9:30 a.m. PST

• Rounding out the undefeated teams, the Aggies have also played all of their games at home, winning all 10, including three run-rule victories.
• Texas A&M went to the NCAA Regional in Lafayette, Louisiana in 2016. The host team, Louisiana-Lafayette, knocked out the Aggies.
• BYU holds a 6-5 overall series lead over Texas A&M. The Cougars last beat the Aggies in 2012 at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona. The Aggies have won the last two matchups, both at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.