LOS ANGELES — BYU softball split a doubleheader against Loyola Marymount at Smith field on Saturday afternoon, dropping game one, 5-2, before winning the second game by the same score. 

GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE

Game 1: LMU 5 | BYU 2

Tied after the first two innings, LMU scored a run in the third inning and two more in the fourth to pull away. BYU was held scoreless the final five innings, recording just four hits to the Lions’ 10.  

Player Highlights

• Maddie Bejarano: 2-2, HR, RBI
• Martha Epenesa: 1-3, HR, RBI

Maddie Bejarano got things going for the Cougars early, hammering a one-out homer over the fence in right center to put BYU ahead 1-0 in the top of the first. The solo shot was her second of the season.

LMU answered back in its half of the first inning with a leadoff double to left field before a two-run home run to center put the Lions in front at 2-1. 

Leading off in the top of the second, Martha Epenesa drove her 1-0 pitch sailing over the left field fence, evening the score at 2-2. 

Loading the bases after a pair of two-out walks in the bottom of the third, LMU landed an infield single that plated a run and allowed the Lions to retake the lead, 3-2.

LMU strung together three base hits to go with a leadoff walk in the fourth, going ahead 5-2 after scoring two more runs. The Lions loaded the bases in the inning, but relief pitcher Ailana Agbayani got a swinging strikeout to get the Cougars out of the jam.

After scoreless fifth and sixth innings, BYU was down to its final three outs in the top of the seventh, and three strikeouts would seal the 5-2 loss.

Game 2: BYU 5 | LMU 2

Hailey Morrow broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the seventh with a game-winning three-run home run. 

Player Highlights

• Hailey Morrow: 2-2, 2 R, 3 RBI
• Tristen Turlington: 1-3, RBI
• Ailana Agbayani: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 K

BYU got on board first in the top of the second as Morrow drew a leadoff walk and Breezy Hayward reached on a fielder’s choice. Huntyr Ava singled off the center field wall, and Tristen Turlington reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Morrow for a 1-0 lead.

LMU answered in its half of the second, earning a two-out walk and singling just off of Turlington’s glove at second to bring in a run and tie the game at 1-1. 

The Lions took the lead in the bottom of the third, leading off with two-consecutive singles and scoring on a wild pitch to go ahead 2-1.

The Cougars tied things back up in the fifth, with Lauren Flanders bunting and reaching on a fielder’s choice. She moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a groundout, coming home to score on another wild pitch, knotting the game at 2-2 midway through the fifth.

BYU loaded the bases in the sixth on a Martha Epenesa double, Morrow walk and Ava hit-by-pitch, but two strikeouts would leave the runner stranded. 

LMU also loaded the bases in its half of the sixth inning and sent a ball deep to left field, but Bejarano hauled it in right at the wall to keep the game tied.

Facing two outs in the top of the seventh, both Bejarano and Epenesa drew walks, bringing up Morrow, who launched a towering three-run shot over the left field wall, giving the Cougars a 5-2 advantage. 

BYU retired the first two Lions before LMU got a two-out single, but a groundout on the next at-bat shut down any potential rally for the Lions. 

The Cougars will return to the state of Utah next week for a couple of early-week games. BYU will first host No. 5 Stanford on Monday, April 17 at 1 p.m. MDT before visiting Utah Valley on Wednesday, April 19 at 4 p.m.

PROVO, Utah — After splitting its early week rivalry matchups, BYU softball jumps back into WCC play with a three-game series at LMU this week.

The Cougars (21-10, 3-0 WCC) will take on the Lions in a single game on Friday afternoon and a doubleheader on Saturday.

BYU dropped its Monday night game against Utah, 6-4. After leading 1-0 through five innings, the Utes plated six runs in the sixth inning to take a five-run lead. Center fielder Violet Zavodnik hit a three-run home run down the right field line but the Cougars’ comeback ultimately fell short.

Tallying nine runs on nine hits against Utah Valley on Tuesday night, BYU earned a quick run-rule victory over the Wolverines with a 9-0 shutout. The Cougars were fueled by a solo home run from catcher Hailey Morrow and first baseman Huntyr Ava’s first-career grand slam. Ava totaled six RBI in the game. 

After opening conference play 3-0 with a series sweep at Santa Clara last week, Morrow was named the WCC Player of the Week, BYU’s fifth weekly honor this season. The freshman was tied for the team-lead in batting average, at .444, and also led the Cougars with an .889 slugging percentage.

Dating back to last season, BYU has now won 15-consecutive conference games, the second-longest active streak in NCAA DI softball. LMU was the last team to beat the Cougars in conference play, as they earned a series win after taking two of three in Provo in 2022.

BYU eventually earned a share of the WCC crown, for its eighth-consecutive WCC title, but owning the tiebreaker, the Lions received the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, snapping a streak of 16-straight years that the Cougars had qualified for the postseason. 

Loyola Marymount (17-16, 3-0 WCC)

• The Lions are on a four-game win streak after picking up a mid-week win at Cal Baptist and opening conference play with a series sweep at Pacific last week
• This is LMU’s second four-game win streak this season
• Outside of conference play, the Lions and Cougars share a number of common opponents: Stanford, UCLA, Utah Valley, San Diego State, Utah, Portland State and LSU
• Tairia Flowers has been head coach at LMU for three season, going 76-54 (.585) in that time
• BYU leads the all-time series, 26-12, going 9-5 against the Lions in Los Angeles. Cougar head coach Gordon Eakin is 25-11 versus LMU during his tenure. 

The Cougars will return to Provo after their California road trip and play a pair of non-conference games next week. They will host No. 5 Stanford on Monday afternoon and then head down the road to Utah Valley on Wednesday.