SANTA CLARA, Calif. ­– The BYU softball team clinched its sixth-straight West Coast Conference title, beating Santa Clara 9-2 and 5-3 on Friday night.

"We had two great wins tonight over a much improved Santa Clara team who has been playing very well lately," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin. "Our pitching was solid in both games. We made great adjustments at the plate and came up with timely hits. As coaches we are very proud of this team and the conference championship we secured tonight."

BYU (29-23, 12-2) has won the WCC conference title every year since the league added softball in 2014. The championship also marks 11-straight conference titles for the Cougars, spanning over four different leagues. BYU also secured a bid to the NCAA Regionals for the 15th consecutive year with the two wins over Santa Clara (15-34, 7-7).

Game One

Game Highlights

• Erin Miklus hit her second double of the season to score three runs giving BYU a 3-1 lead.
• In the top of the fifth, Marissa Chavez smashed a ball over the left field fence for a three-run shot. 
• Autumn Moffat tallied her 12th win of the season, pitching a complete game with two runs and three strikeouts.

Player Highlights:

• Erin Miklus: 2-3, 1R, 2B, 3 RBI
• Lexi Tarrow: 2-3, 2R, 2B
• Marissa Chavez: 1-3, 2R, 3RBI, 1HR

Santa Clara started off the scoring, putting up a run in the bottom of the first to go up 1-0.

Miklus came up big for BYU in the top of the second. With the bases loaded, Miklus doubled down the left field line and cleared the bases to put the Cougars up 3-1.

The Broncos fought back as their leadoff hitter blasted a homer to left field in the top of the second to decrease BYU’s lead to 3-2.

In the top of the fourth again with bases loaded, Williams hit a sacrifice fly to center field as Tarrow slid into home to put BYU up 4-2. Libby Sugg then reached second base on an error by Santa Clara’s right fielder, sending Jensen and Miklus home, giving BYU a 6-2 lead.

The Cougars continued their scoring in the top fifth as Chavez homered with two on, making the score 9-2. The Bronco’s went three-up, three-down in the bottom of the seventh giving the Cougars a 9-2 win.

Game Two

Game Highlights:

• Emilee Erickson blasted a three-run homer to give BYU the lead in the top of the fourth
• In the sixth inning, Sugg and Erickson both homered to boost BYU's lead.

Player Highlights:

• Emilee Erickson: 2-3, 2R, 2 HR, 4 RBI
• Libby Sugg: 2-3, 1R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
• Arissa Paulson: W (14-10), 7.0 IP, 2ER, 3K

With two outs in the top of the fourth, Sugg singled to left field and Martha Epenesa subbed in as a pinch runner. Arissa Paulson followed, singling to second base before Erickson sent one over the fence to score three runs and give BYU a 3-0 edge.

In the top of the sixth, Sugg and Erickson both hit solo shots to left to put BYU up 5-0.

A late surge in the bottom of the seventh gave Santa Clara hope as they scored three runs. A ground out to third base ended the game and the Cougars took the win and the outright WCC championship crown.

BYU finishes its regular season Saturday, May 11, with their final game of the series against Santa Clara. The game will start at 11 a.m. PT at SCU Softball Field.

PROVO, Utah – The BYU softball team returns for its final two regular season home games against Colorado State and Utah State Monday and Tuesday, before traveling to California for its final conference series against Santa Clara over the weekend.

Colorado State comes to Gail Miller Field on Monday, May 6, with the first pitch at 2:30 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast live on BYUtv. Then, the Cougars will face in-state foe Utah State for senior night on Tuesday, May 7, at 6 p.m. Five BYU seniors will be honored following the game. 

To round out the 2019 regular season, BYU travels to California for the final three games against Santa Clara. The Cougars are looking for their sixth straight West Coast Conference title. BYU will need to win two games against Santa Clara to win the title outright and one game to be co-champions.

The Cougars will play a doubleheader on Friday May 10, at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. PT in Santa Clara, California, with the final game on Saturday, May 11 at 11 a.m. PT. Live stats will be available on the schedule page. 

BYU Storylines

SENIOR NIGHT. Tuesday, May 7, the seniors on the softball team will be honored. The five seniors, Ashley Godfrey, Allie Hancock, Olivia Sanchez, Libby Sugg and Lexi Tarrow will be honored following the game against Utah State. 

FINAL CONFERENCE SERIES. Following BYU’s last two regular season home games, the Cougars will make one final trip to California for its regular season WCC finale against Santa Clara. BYU is currently 10-2 in conference after going 2-1 against Saint Mary’s.

CLOSING IN ON BYU RECORDS. While many BYU players are making their way up the BYU record books, senior Libby Sugg is closing in on BYU’s all-time records. Currently No. 2 in both doubles with 46 and RBI at 206. Sugg is six doubles away from holding the BYU record. She is also No. 5 in homers (48) and total bases (401). Redshirt sophomore Arissa Paulson has also made a dent in the charts, currently holding the No. 8 spot in complete games (28) and shutouts (8).

RYLEE JENSEN. Rylee Jensen has proved to be an incredible asset for the Cougars this season. The junior is currently ranked No. 26 nationally in batting average (.426), No. 52 in slugging percentage (.757), No. 67 in total bases (103) and is No. 1 in the WCC in seven different categories. She currently leads the team in batting average, runs scored (37), hits (58), RBI (28), home runs (10), slugging percentage (.757), on base percentage (.480), total bases (103), walks (15) and stolen bases (5).

WCC WEEKLY AWARDS.  The Cougars earned their 12th West Coast Conference weekly award nomination this week as Autumn Moffat took WCC Pitcher of the Week. It was Moffat’s second award this season. Rylee Jensen, Arissa Paulson, Libby Sugg and Kerisa Viramontes have all received the award 

Opponent Outlook

Colorado State | Monday, May 6 | 2:30 p.m. MDT | BYUtv

• The Rams hold a 37-10 overall record with a 18-6 conference record. The game against BYU will be their last regular season game. 

• Last season, Colorado State participated in the National Invitational Softball Championships but ultimately lost to South Dakota State.  

•Head Coach Jen Fisher begins her 9th season as the Rams head coach with a 235-214 overall record the Colorado State and a 360-250 career overall record.

Utah State | Tuesday, May 7 | 6 p.m. MT | BYUtv Digital

• The Aggies currently have a 15-18 record with a 4-16 record in the Mountain West Conference

•This will be the 42 meeting between the two teams as the Cougars hold the series at 38-3 after BYU suffered a loss last season 4-2 to the Aggies. The two teams were supposed to meet earlier in the season but the game was cancelled due to weather. 

•Head Coach Steve Johnson has coached for six season for the Aggies with a 127-169 overall record.

Santa Clara | Friday, May 10 at 2 & 4 p.m PT.; Saturday, May 11 at 11 a.m. |

• The Broncos currently have a 15-32 record and are 7-5 in conference after sweeping San Diego last weekend

• This will be the 25th meeting between the two teams with the Cougars holding the advantage at 22-2 after sweeping the Broncos for the last four seasons

• Lisa Dodd enters her 2nd season as the Bronco’s head coach with a 144-216 Division 1 overall record through seven seasons.