PROVO, Utah — Mallory Barber, Martha Epenesa and Alyssa Podhurcak-Foss each celebrated their senior day with runs scored in BYU softball’s 8-0 run-rule win over Pacific at Gail Miller Field on Saturday afternoon.

BOX SCORE

Player Highlights

• Mallory Barber: 2-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI
• Martha Epenesa: 1-3, HR, RBI
• Alyssa Podhurcak-Foss: 1-3, 2B
• Maddie Bejarano: 2-2, HR, 2B, RBI
• Hailey Morrow: 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI
• Chloe Temples: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 8 K

The seniors formed a three-pronged attack for the Cougars (31-14, 10-2 WCC) that put the game away in the bottom of the fifth. Epenesa took to the plate and quickly homered over the left field fence to put BYU up 6-0. Podhurcak-Foss stepped up next and doubled to left field, coming home moments later as Barber brought her home with a second home run of the day.

Barber’s two home runs on Saturday became the first and second of her career. The senior from Spanish Fork, Utah recorded her first-career homer in the bottom of the fourth, sending the ball over the left fence and putting the Cougars up 3-0.

After two scoreless innings to open the game, BYU broke it open in the bottom of the third as Maddie Bejarano came out swinging with two outs. Bejarano sent one over the right wall to give the Cougars their first run of the day. Huntyr Ava then walked and advanced to second after a Hailey Morrow single to left field.

BYU quickly scored again as Ava came sliding home on a Violet Zavodnik RBI that sent Morrow to second. Despite three runners left on base, the Cougars led 2-0 heading into the fourth.

Chloe Temples kept up her stingy pitching in the top of the fourth as she struck out her fifth-consecutive Pacific batter and helped the Cougars keep the Tigers off the board yet again.

The bottom of the fourth proved to be another fruitful frame for the BYU batters with Barber starting the action on her opening homer of the day. Bejarano and Ava walked consecutively and came home on a Morrow double to left field. While two BYU runners were left on base, the Cougars had built their lead to a commanding 5-0 after four.

With Saturday’s win, the Cougars completed a three-game sweep of the Tigers. BYU has won nine of its last 11 games, with its two losses coming to top-5 ranked UCLA and Stanford. The 8-0 win over Pacific marks the Cougars' seventh shutout of the season and second on back-to-back Saturdays.

BYU closes out its regular season facing Saint Mary’s (18-28, 7-5 WCC) with a three-game series at Cottrell Field in Moraga, California May 12-13. 

PROVO, Utah — BYU softball will resume West Coast Conference play with a three-game series against Pacific on Friday and Saturday, May 5-6.

The Cougars will host the Tigers in their final WCC homestand. Friday’s doubleheader has a 5 p.m. MDT first pitch, with Saturday’s senior day finale set to begin at 1 p.m. Utility player Mallory Barber, second baseman Alyssa Podhurcak-Foss and third baseman Martha Epenesa will all be honored following Saturday’s contest.

First baseman Huntyr Ava and center fielder Violet Zavodnik each homered in BYU’s Monday matinee against No. 2 UCLA. Despite the 7-2 loss, the Cougars also saw production from freshman second baseman Tristen Turlington, who went 2-for-3 with a double in the game.

Ava earned WCC Player of the Week honors on Monday afternoon after she posted a .615 batting average and 1.385 slugging percentage in BYU’s five wins last week. The Rosepark native homered three times and tallied 11 RBI on the week.

Now with a team and conference-leading 12 home runs, Ava ranks No. 21 in the nation, averaging 0.33 homers per game. Her 1.19 RBI per game are good for eighth-best in the country, and a .760 slugging percentage puts her at No. 36 nationwide.

Left fielder Maddie Bejarano also has her name in the top 25 of the national statistics rankings, coming in at No. 14 with 0.26 sacrifice bunts per game. Bejarano (.313) joins Ava (.356), shortstop Ailana Agbayani (.340) and catcher Hailey Morrow (.327) as the four Cougar batters hitting .300 or better this season. Agbayani (8), Ava (7) and Zavodnik (6) lead the team with the longest active hitting streaks on the year.

BYU and Pacific will meet for the eighth and final time in WCC play this weekend. It is the first trip the Tigers will be making to Provo since 2019.

Pacific (10-27, 1-11 WCC)

• The Tigers are on a two-game losing streak after dropping the final two games of their three-game series against Saint Mary's last weekend
• Pacific has one three-game win streak this season, beating Niagara, Fresno State and CSU Bakersfield in early March
• Outside of WCC foes, the Cougars and Tigers share two common opponents: Utah Valley and Utah
• Brian Kolze is in his 31st season as head coach at Pacific, posting an 821-799-2 (.507) record since 1993
• BYU leads the all-time series between the two teams, 23-2. The Cougars are 10-0 against the Tigers at Gail Miller Field, and have won the last eight matchups dating back to 2018.  

Closing out its regular season next week, BYU will embark on its final road trip as a member of the WCC, visiting Saint Mary's in Moraga, Calif. for a three-game set on Friday and Saturday, May 12-13.