PROVO, Utah — Despite two solo home runs, BYU softball fell to No. 2 UCLA, 7-2 at Gail Miller Field on Monday afternoon.

BOX SCORE

The Cougars (28-14, 7-2 WCC) saw their six-game winning streak come to an end as UCLA extended its own to 21. BYU recorded six hits and two home runs, with one from senior Huntyr Ava and another from junior Violet Zavodnik.

Player Highlights

• Tristen Turlington: 2-3, 2B
• Huntyr Ava: 1-3, HR
• Violet Zavodnik: 1-3, HR
• Kaysen Korth: 3.1 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 5 K

UCLA got on the board early after a sacrifice fly gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead. The Cougars held UCLA scoreless through the next two innings while giving up only one hit as Korth pitched a near-perfect third inning, striking out batters one and two before the third grounded out.

Tristen Turlington recorded BYU’s first hit of the day with a double to left center. Agbayani then notched a single on a beautifully-placed hit down the left field line before the third inning ended with Agbayani still on base.

In the top of the fourth inning, the Bruins picked up two runs after an error to extend its lead to 3-0. After stealing a base, a single up the middle led to another score. Chloe Temples came on in relief before UCLA scored on a passed ball to make it 5-0.

Huntyr Ava began the bottom of the fourth inning with a bang, blasting a home run to center field to cut the deficit to 5-1. The hit was Ava’s 12th homer of the season, a team-high.

Temples pitched three-consecutive strikeouts in the top of the fifth inning. Turlington posted the Cougars’ lone hit of the inning with a single up the middle.

Neither team would score again until the final inning when UCLA recorded two hits and two runs. With the score at 7-1 and two outs for the Cougars, Zavodnik connected on a home run to right field for her eighth homer of the season to make it 7-2.

BYU will now prepare for its three-game set against WCC foe Pacific. The Cougars and Tigers will begin their series with a doubleheader on Friday, May 5. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. MDT, and both games will be streamed on the BYUtv app. 

PROVO, Utah — Riding a six-game win streak after going 5-0 last week, BYU softball is set to host No. 2 UCLA on Monday afternoon at Gail Miller Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. MDT. 

Posting six-consecutive victories for the second time this season, the Cougars (28-13, 7-2 WCC) have matched their season-long win streak and look to extend that against the Bruins, who come into Provo having won 20-straight, the nation's second-longest active streak behind Oklahoma's 37 wins.

The BYU bats came alive last week as nine batters hit .300 or better on the week, led by first baseman Huntyr Ava's .615 batting average. The Rosepark native crushed three home runs and recorded 11 RBI in the Cougars' five games.

Left fielder Maddie Bejarano (.583), center fielder Violet Zavodnik (.538) and freshman second baseman Tristen Turlington (.500) each joined Ava at over .500, with shortstop Ailana Agbayani (.412), third baseman Martha Epenesa (.400), catcher Hailey Morrow (.375), utility player Mallory Barber (.375) and infielder Alyssa Podhurcak-Foss (.333) rounding out the list.

Freshman pitcher Kaysen Korth earned three of BYU's five wins on the week, posting a 1.47 ERA and going the distance in each game, giving up just four total runs and striking out 10 over 19 innings pitched.

Agbayani picked up the victory against Utah State, pitching four innings of scoreless ball, with two strikeouts, just one hit and batters hitting .077 against her.

Epenesa has reached base safely for a team-leading 10-consecutive games, while six players are on hitting streaks of five games or more: Agbayani (7), Ava (6) with Morrow, Bejarano, Epenesa and Zavodnik all at five.

The Cougars and Bruins will meet for the first time since 2019. UCLA leads the all-time series, 7-1, with BYU's lone, 6-4 win coming at a neutral site in 2011. Monday's matchup marks the Burins first trip to Provo.

No. 2 UCLA (47-4, 21-3 Pac-12)

• The Bruins locked up the regular season Pac-12 title with a series sweep at Utah over the weekend. It was their fifth-straight sweep in conference play. 
• UCLA is on a 20-game win streak, and has posted a 14-2 record away from Los Angeles this season
• The two teams share a few common opponents: LMU, San Diego, Stanford, Oregon State, Arizona State and Utah
• Head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez is in her 17th season with the Bruins, going 770-194-1 (.798) since 2007

BYU will resume conference play following its single game set with UCLA, hosting Pacific for senior weekend in its final WCC homestand, on Friday and Saturday, May 5-6.