TEMPE, Ariz. – After a win over Stanford to start the 2018 campaign, No. 19 BYU softball fell to Western Michigan on the first day of the Kajikawa Classic on Thursday.  

“We played a solid game against Stanford,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “After a slow start offensively, our hitters made some good adjustments and had success in the late innings. Arissa (Paulson) pitched an excellent game and our pitchers performed very well today.”

To kick off the season, BYU (1-1, 0-0 West Coast Conference) played Stanford (1-1, 0-0 Pac-12) in both teams’ season opener. Solid defense and active bats propelled the Cougars to a 10-1 run-rule win in six innings.

Western Michigan (1-0, 0-0 Middle Atlantic Conference) narrowly edged BYU, 2-1, in the Broncos’ first game of the season.

“We ran into a determined Western Michigan team tonight,” Eakin said. “Their pitcher threw a great game. We fought hard and made it a game that went down to the wire. We will learn from this game and move forward.”

Arissa Paulson led from the circle, throwing eight strikeouts and two walks without any earned runs. No player had more than one hit on the day, however, three hit home runs against Stanford.

Game one

After four scoreless innings, BYU’s bats came alive in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 10-1 run-rule win over Stanford. Lexi Tarrow, Allie Hancock and Libby Sugg all scored home runs. Tarrow and Sugg led the Cougars with three RBI.

It is the second time both Tarrow and Hancock have scored home runs in the same game. They accomplished the feat in an 8-0 victory against Nevada in the DeMarini Desert Classic in 2017.

Pitching all six innings, Paulson threw eight strikeouts and two walks without any earned runs.

To begin the offensive outburst, Tarrow hit a three-run homer over the right field fence midway through the top of the fifth inning. Her hit drove in runs from Rylee Jensen and Briielle Breland for a 3-0 lead.

Stanford responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the fifth as Whitney Burks singled up the middle to bring Alyssa Horeczko home, 3-1.

The Cougars’ bats remained alive as they scored seven runs in the final inning. Freshman Bridget Fleener recorded one RBI in her collegiate debut as Alexa Strid crossed home plate to put the Cougars up 4-1 in the top of the sixth. Allie Hancock sent a two-run home run to right field, bringing Caitlyn Alldredge home as well for a 6-1 lead.

Madison Merrell hit a double to left center, allowing Jensen to score a second run, 7-1. Sugg drilled a three-run homer to right field with two runners on, increasing BYU’s lead, 10-1.

BYU vs. Stanford Box Score

Game two

After holding Western Michigan to four scoreless innings, BYU fell 2-1. The Cougars were outhit six to four in the loss.

The Broncos got on the board first, scoring on a two-run single in the top of the fifth inning. Freshman pitcher Autumn Moffat then relieved Kerisa Viramontes. A grounder to third base earned the final out of the inning with two runners left on base and a score of 2-0.

BYU went three up, three down in the second, third and fifth innings. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Sugg singled up the middle as Breland rounded the bases to score, 2-1.

The last effort in the seventh fell short and BYU dropped the game, 2-1.

BYU vs. Western Michigan Box Score

The Kajikawa Classic continues for BYU on Friday against Nebraska at 2:15 p.m. MT and No. 25 Georgia at 7:45 p.m. MT. Links to live stats and the live stream will be available on the softball schedule page.  

PROVO, Utah – In the first of seven tournaments, No. 19 BYU softball opens the 2018 season competing against five teams in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona.

On Thursday, Feb. 8, the Cougars play Stanford at 2:30 p.m. MT and Western Michigan at 7:15 p.m. MT. Competition continues the following day with matchups against Nebraska at 2:15 p.m. MT and No. 25 Georgia at 7:45 p.m. MT. Tournament play concludes with a game against Oregon State Saturday, Feb. 10, at 10:15 a.m. MT.

BYU Game Notes

The opening game against Stanford will be televised on the Pac-12 Network at 2:30 p.m. MT and played at Farrington Stadium on Arizona State’s campus. All other games will be played at the Tempe Sports Complex and specific field numbers can be found on the BYU softball schedule page. The Western Michigan, Nebraska and Georgia games can be streamed on FloSoftball with a subscription. Links to live stats, the live stream and the radio broadcast of the Nebraska game can be found on the schedule page.

BYU STORYLINES

• After winning the 2017 West Coast Conference title, BYU has won four-straight WCC championships. Additionally, it was the Cougars’ ninth-consecutive conference title, spanning four different conferences. The auto-bid to the 2017 NCAA tournament was BYU’s 13th-straight and 14th overall.
• In 2016, the Cougars opened their season at the Kajikawa Classic with wins over San José State, Wisconsin and Creighton while losing to then-ranked No. 8/9 Tennessee and No. 24 Notre Dame.
• BYU returns five seniors: Caitlyn Alldredge, Briielle Breland, Madison Merrell, Arianna Paulson and Alexa Strid. Between them, they have started in 374 games. Alldredge is the reigning 2017 WCC Player of the Year and was a NFCA All-Pacific Region First Team selection. She and Strid both earned All-WCC First Team honors, while Breland was named to the All-WCC Second Team.
• Junior catcher and team captain Libby Sugg has been named to the 2018 USA Softball College Player of the Year Watch List. She earned NFCA All-Pacific Region First Team honors and was named to the All-WCC Second Team last season. Sugg led the team in RBI and home runs with 56 and 13, respectively, while hitting .356.

OPPONENTS OUTLOOK
Stanford | Thursday, Feb. 8 | 2:30 p.m. MT | Pac-12 Network

• The Cardinal finished the 2017 season with a 19-32 record, 2-22 in Pac-12 play.
• Stanford leads in the overall series 8-2, most recently winning 7-5 on March 8, 2014, in the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic.
• Head coach Jessica Allister returns to her alma mater and enters her first season at Stanford. Previously, she led Minnesota for seven seasons, including a program-best 56-5 record in 2017 and the Gophers’ first No. 1 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll. She has compiled a 290-107 career record.

Western Michigan | Thursday, Feb. 8 | 7:15 p.m. MT | FloSoftball

• In 2017, Western Michigan had a 25-29 overall record, going 11-13 in the Middle Atlantic Conference.
• This game will be the first meeting between the Cougars and Broncos.
• Kathy Leitke enters her 18th season at the helm of the Western Michigan program and 27th overall as a head coach. She has earned over 700 career wins.

Nebraska | Friday, Feb. 9 |2:15 p.m. MT | FloSoftball | Radio

• The Huskers finished 2017 with a 30-30 overall record, 13-10 in Big Ten play.
• Nebraska leads in the overall series against BYU, 7-4. The Cougars’ last win over the Huskers came on a 12-1 victory in five innings on February 9, 2017, at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
• Head coach Rhonda Revelle has been at Nebraska for 25 seasons, compiling a 937-514 record.

No. 25 Georgia | Friday, Feb. 9 | 7:45 p.m. MT | FloSoftball

• In 2017, Georgia finished the season with a 35-23 overall record, 6-18 in SEC play.
• The Bulldogs advanced to the Tallahassee Regional in 2017, where they beat Jacksonville State twice and dropped two games to Florida State.
• Georgia leads the overall series, 2-1. BYU most recently won 4-0 last year on February 23, 2017, in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
• Lu Harris-Champer enters her 18th season at the helm of Georgia softball. She has earned over 1,000 wins through 22 seasons as a head coach, including an 812-308 record with the Bulldogs.

Oregon State | Saturday, Feb. 10 | 9:15 a.m. MT

• The Beavers finished 2017 with a 28-27 overall record, 9-15 in Pac-12 competition.
• Oregon State qualified for the Waco Regional in 2017 but fell to James Madison and Kent State.
• OSU holds the advantage in the overall series with a 3-12 record. BYU traveled to Oregon State last year and swept the two-game series, 4-2 and 2-1, on March 31 and April 1, respectively.
• Head coach Laura Berg has been with the Beavers for five seasons, compiling an overall record of 136-128 during that time.