PROVO, Utah – BYU softball swept Southern Utah 8-0 and 10-2 in a doubleheader Friday night in the team's home opener at Gail Miller Field.

“We played two complete games tonight,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “Both Autumn (Moffat) and Kerisa (Viramontes) pitched well, we played great defense, made excellent plays, turned several double plays and had timely hitting. We executed well offensively and made the big plays when we needed them.”

The Cougars (15-12) shut out Southern Utah (3-21) in the afternoon game, scoring eight runs on eight hits in five innings to win by the NCAA eight-run rule.

BYU out-hit SUU 14-2 in the night cap to help fuel another run-rule victory, earning the 10-2 win after five innings.

Game one

Alexa Strid went a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate, with five of the team’s eight RBI. Briielle Breland also went 2 for 2 with two RBI, including two home runs.

After the Cougars sat the Thunderbirds down with just one hit in the top of the first inning, BYU opened the game with a three-run offensive outburst.

Breland walked and advanced to second base after Lexi Tarrow reached on a fielder's choice. With two outs, Libby Sugg also walked to put a runner on first and second. Strid then ripped a deep double to the warning track in left-center to score both runners and advance to third on the throw home. In the next at-bat, Bridget Fleener singled up the middle as Strid came across to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead. 

To start the bottom of the third, Breland sent the first pitch for a ride to deep center with a solo shot to make it 4-0. It was her third homer of the season.

In the fourth frame, Southern Utah's Sarah Murphy walked before Mikaela Williams sent a deep fly ball to the center field fence, but BYU’s Brooke Vander Heide made the catch and rocketed the ball to second base to catch Murphy tagging up to get the double play.

Breland added a security run for the Cougars as she led off the bottom of the fifth and launched another ball to deep center for her second solo home run of the game to put BYU up 5-0. Tarrow answered the homer with a double for her first hit of the game. Sugg then walked. With no outs, Strid got her third hit of the day and fifth RBI with a deep walk-off home run to left field for the 8-0 win.  

BYU vs. SUU Game One Box Score

Game two

Five players contributed multiple hits to BYU's 14-hit tally in the second game. Tarrow went 3 for 4 while Jensen, Sugg, Strid and Emilee Erickson each contributed two hits for the Cougars. Tarrow and Sugg also had three RBI apiece.

BYU scored two early runs in the bottom of the first inning. Jensen singled to shortstop before moving to third as Breland laid down a sacrifice bunt. Tarrow singled through the left side as Jensen advanced to third. Sugg grounded out to shortstop as Jensen came home and Tarrow moved to third. Strid then hit a double to right field, scoring Tarrow for a 2-0 lead.

In the third frame, SUU scored its first run of the night. Madison Tuft reached on a Cougar fielding error by the pitcher and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Kendall Kapitzke to trail 2-1.

Sugg singled to left field to lead off for BYU in the bottom of the third. After Erin Miklus came in as a pinch runner for Sugg, Alldredge singled to left field as Miklus advanced to second. The Cougars put another run across the plate when Madison Merrell singled to center field, bringing Miklus home to make it 3-1.

SUU got on the board again when Kalei Watins homered to right center in the fourth, giving the Thunderbirds their second run of the night for a score of 3-2.

The BYU bats responded in the bottom of the frame. Allie Hancock singled up the middle while Jensen bunted to put runners on first and second. Breland then laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners. Tarrow followed with a double to right center to score Hancock and Jensen for a 5-2 advantage. Sugg then crushed a two-run homer over the left-field fence, also bringing Tarrow home for a 7-2 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Merrell reached on an error before Vander Heide came in as a pinch runner. Erickson bunted to third base and Vander Heide advanced. After Jensen walked, Breland reached on a fielder’s choice, which allowed Jensen to advance and Vander Heide to score to make it 8-2. The momentum continued as Tarrow singled to left field to advance Breland to second and allow Jensen to score. With bases loaded, Strid singled to center field to bring Breland home for the final run of the game.

BYU vs. SUU Game Two Box Score

The Cougars head to Baton Rouge next week to play in the LSU Round Robin March 22-24 against LSU, North Dakota State and Baylor.

PROVO, Utah – After five weeks on the road, BYU softball plays its first home games of the season against in-state foe Southern Utah in a doubleheader Friday.

BYU Game Notes

The Cougars (13-12) will play the first game against the Thunderbirds (3-19) Friday at 4 p.m. MDT and the second at 6 p.m. MDT. The games will be televised on BYUtv and links to live stats can be found on the BYU softball schedule page.

Athletic marketing will host “Millennial Night” during the second game, featuring in-game promotions and activities on the concourse. Fans can get free prizes and other handouts, including the official drink of the ROC, “The George Randall.”

BYU STORYLINES

• The Cougars have gone 31-11 in home-opening weekends since the program’s inception in 2000. BYU has played its first home games of the season against SUU twice, going 2-0 in 2002 and 1-0 in 2010.
• Sophomore outfielder Rylee Jensen earned her third career West Coast Conference Softball Player of the Week honor in the fifth week of competition. Jensen batted .421 on the week, scored 10 runs and collected eight hits, including five home runs and one triple. She also had seven RBI.
• BYU ranks No. 16 nationally and No. 1 in the WCC in home runs per game with 1.12. Ten Cougars have hit 28 homers in 25 games so far this season, led by Rylee Jensen’s six. Libby Sugg and Caitlyn Alldredge follow with four while Lexi Tarrow and Bridget Fleener have both hit three. Alexa Strid, Briielle Breland and Allie Hancock have two apiece. Madison Merrell and Ashley Godfrey have also hit dingers.
• 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 in 2017.

OPPONENT OUTLOOK
Southern Utah (3-19)

• The Thunderbirds are 3-19 on the season so far, most recently going 1-3 at the LMU Tournament with a 9-3 win over Harvard.
• BYU leads in the overall series 52-7. The Cougars won both games in 2017: 4-0 in Provo and 13-3 in Cedar City.
• Head coach Tom Gray enters his fourth season at Southern Utah and has compiled a record of 48-98 in three seasons with the Thunderbirds.