KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — BYU softball battled No. 6 Tennessee and No. 11 Texas again on Saturday at the Tennessee Invitational, suffering a 3-0 loss to the Longhorns and a 5-1 defeat to the host Volunteers. 

“The team competed better today,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “Both Autumn Moffat and Arissa pitched well and we found our defense.”

The Cougars (10-15, 0-0) held No. 11 Texas (24-6, 0-0) to just three runs in the 3-0 loss after a 14-run outburst by the Longhorns in the first matchup. In a 5-1 loss to No. 6 Tennessee (22-3, 0-0), the Cougars gave up all five runs in the first inning but managed to hold the Volunteers scoreless for the final six innings.

Rylee Jensen scored BYU's lone run in the two games against the nationally ranked teams. Jensen tallied three hits on the day and Emilee Erickson tallied an RBI with Libby Sugg and Martha Epenesa both drawing walks.

Game 1
Rylee Jensen and Marissa Chavez both doubled in the game, giving the Cougars their two hits in the game while Chavez and Libby Sugg drew walks. 

Texas put two runs on the board in the bottom of the second inning, followed by a single run in the third to give the Longhorns a 3-0 run. BYU held Texas scoreless in the fourth and fifth inning.

The sixth inning looked promising for the Cougars as Jensen got on base with a double to left center field followed by Martha Epenesa drawing a walked. Sugg reached on an error by the shortstop to load the bases for the Cougars. BYU, however, wasn’t able to get a runner home as Olivia Sanchez grounded to the pitcher to end the inning.

The game ended as BYU went three-up three-down in the top of the seventh and the Longhorns took the win 3-0.

Game 2
Jensen went 2 for 3 at the plate with one run in the game against No. 6 Tennessee, while Emilee Erickson tallied one RBI and one hit. Arissa Paulson pitched six frames giving up no runs and only one walk.

The Volunteers started the scoring off early, putting up five runs in the bottom of the first inning. But both teams went three-up, three-down in the second and third frames to keep the score at 5-0.  

In the fourth inning, Jensen tallied a single to get BYU on base and then advanced to second on a ground out from Paulson. Erickson recorded an RBI by singling down the left field line, driving in Jensen for the Cougars first run of the day. BYU turned a double play in the bottom of the fourth to keep the score at 5-1.  

The Cougars retired the side in the bottom of the sixth inning but were unable to score in the top of the seventh as the Volunteers secured the win 5-1.

BYU will take a week off before playing its first in-state game of the season at Utah Valley University in the UCCU Crosstown Clash. The game is slated for Tuesday, March 26 at 4 p.m. MT at Wolverine Field in Orem, Utah.

PROVO, Utah – The BYU softball team will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take on No. 6 Tennessee and No. 11 Texas.

BYU Game Notes

The Cougars will play each team twice over the weekend starting with a game against Tennessee on Thursday, March 14, at 5:30 p.m. followed by a game on Friday, March 15, against Texas at 3 p.m. The Invite concludes on Saturday, March 16, with a game against Tennessee at noon followed by the final game against Texas at 2:30 p.m., all eastern time.

This is the Cougars' second trip to Tennessee in the last four years and is the final tournament for BYU before conference play begins.

All four games will be played at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville with the games against Tennessee broadcast live on the SEC Network. Live stats will be available for all four games with a radio broadcast for the games against Texas.

BYU Storylines

• TRIP TO TENNESSEE. Senior catcher Libby Sugg is the second Cougar to hail from the state of Tennessee. A native of Franklin, this will be the second time Sugg will return to her home state for softball during her career at BYU. The Cougars last made the trip to Tennessee during her freshman year to play in the same tournament.

• RANKED OPPONENTS. BYU will face to two top-15 teams over the weekend. Last weekend, BYU faced now No. 1 UCLA and held its own through five innings. BYU has faced five top-25 teams this season (No. 9 South Carolina, No. 18 Baylor, No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 2 UCLA).

• POWER AT THE PLATE. BYU captain Libby Sugg returns for her final season at BYU. The two-time captain has been named to the USA Softball College Softball Player of the Year watch list and was named NFCA All-American Third Team after the 2018 season.

• WCC WEEKLY AWARDS. Rylee Jensen won her third WCC weekly award last week. The outfielder started all five games over the weekend, batting .597 while tallying runs in every game including a homer against Long Beach State. She was 11 for 19 through five games with seven runs and four RBIs. This is the fourth-consecutive week that a BYU softball player has earned a weekly award. Autumn Moffat and Kerisa Viramontes previously won WCC Pitcher of the Week awards while Jensen earned the award in back-to-back weeks.

Opponent Outlook

No. 6 Tennessee | Thursday, March 14 & Saturday, March 16 | 5:30 p.m. & noon ET |
• The Volunteers have compiled am 18-3 record so far this season recording two wins and one loss last weekend against No. 4 Florida.
•This is the ninth meeting between the two teams with the Volunteers holding the series, 7-1
• In 2018, Tennessee lost to Florida in the SEC Tournament but advanced all the way to the NCAA Super Regionals before being eliminated by Georgia
•Co-head coaches Ralph and Karen Weekly had been at Tennessee for 17 seasons, recording a 1,369-443-2 overall record.

No. 11 Texas | Friday, March 15 & Saturday, March 16 | 3 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. ET |
• In 2019, the Longhorns have posted a 21-5 overall record. Last weekend, Texas hosted the Longhorn Invitational and went 3-2.
• Last season, Texas advanced to an NCAA Regional after taking third at the Big 12 Championships.
• The two teams last met in Austin, Texas, in 2016 playing three games with the Longhorns winning two games.
• Mike White is in his first season as head coach of the Longhorns after nine season at Oregon holding a 457-116-1 overall record.