ST. GEORGE, Utah — After 12 days off, BYU softball defeated Utah Tech, 3-1 on Thursday afternoon at Karl Brooks Field, courtesy of 13 strikeouts by freshman pitcher Kaysen Korth and a 2-run home run by freshman catcher Hailey Morrow.

BOX SCORE

Both teams finished with five hits, but Utah Tech had one error and left six runners on base.

Neither team got much going in the first three innings, but Korth struck out five batters through the first three frames.

Maddie Bejarano created a spark for BYU with a double to center field in the top of the fourth. She was followed by pinch hitter Jaelynn Lambert, who laid down a bunt and reached on an error to bring Bejarano home. 

Lambert advanced to second on the play, and later reached third off a wild pitch. With one out, Morrow stepped up to the plate and hit a 2-run shot to left center field to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead, also tying her with Violet Zavodnik for the most home runs this season, at four.

Korth struck out three Trailblazers in the fifth, but Utah Tech got a run in the sixth as its leadoff hitter tripled to left center and later scored on a groundout. 

The Trailblazers got a runner on in the bottom of the seventh, but Korth struck out three more Utah Tech batters to finish with 13 strikeouts, her second-most this season. 

The Cougars will next host Idaho State in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader in their home opener at Gail Miller Field. First pitches are scheduled for 1 p.m and 3 p.m MDT.

PROVO, Utah — BYU softball heads down to St. George to face Utah Tech in a single game at Karl Brooks Field on Thursday afternoon. With the Cougars' Wednesday night home opener against No. 25 Utah postponed, the Cougars will have gone 12 days in between games, last playing Idaho State in St. George on March 3. 

• Live Stream: WAC International
• Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

LAST TIME OUT
Going 3-1 at the Trailblazer Tournament two weeks ago, BYU dropped its opener to Oregon State before winning three-straight against UNLV, Portland State and Idaho State. Striking out 15 Rebel batters, freshman Kaysen Korth tied the school record for most strikeouts in a single game en route to the second WCC Pitcher of the Week honor of her young career. 

Starting all four games behind the plate, freshman catcher Hailey Morrow also led the Cougars at the plate, going 6-for-13 with a .462 average, tallying four runs, two doubles, two homers and eight RBI. The Las Vegas, Nev. native recorded a 1.077 slugging percentage and .533 on-base percentage. 

LET 'EM FLY
The Cougars have alternated weekends hitting home runs after not sending any homers out at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico during week one or at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California in week three. BYU launched nine long bombs in just four games at the Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Arizona during week two, and four at the Trailblazer Tournament in St. George in week four. Freshman Hailey Morrow and junior Violet Zavodnik each launched a pair of long balls for the Cougars at the tourney two weeks ago. 

LEFT FIELD LEADER
Junior left fielder Maddie Bejarano continues to lead the team this season offensively, reaching base in all of BYU’s 17 games this year and batting .400 with an on-base percentage of .516. 

TEAM & INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Cougars rank in the top-100 nationally in five statistical categories: hit batters (No. 44, 5), fielding percentage (No. 55, .971), scoring (No. 58, 5.24), home runs per game (No. 66, 0.76) and on-base percentage (No. 74, .370). 

Three BYU players also find their names amongst the top-50 of the individual statistical categories. Korth ranks No. 28 in strikeouts, with 74, No. 32 in strikeouts per seven innings, with 9.8, and No. 33 in victories, at seven. Junior center fielder Violet Zavodnik is No. 30 in hit by pitch per game (0.35), and Bejarano rounds it out with 0.24 sacrifice bunts per game, ranking No. 37. 

A LOOK AT UTAH TECH (15-8, 0-0 WAC)
The Trailblazers have lost their last two games after winning the first game of their series with UC Santa Barbara last week. Utah Tech went 4-1 at its Trailblazer Tournament two weeks ago, picking up wins over Oregon State, UNLV and two against Idaho State while dropping an extra-inning game to Portland State. The Trailblazers have played two of BYU's WCC opponents this season, splitting two games against Saint Mary's and earning a win at San Diego.

Randy Simkins has been at Utah Tech for 14 seasons, posting a 487-202 record (.707). BYU leads the all-time series, 3-0. The Cougars took last year's matchup in St. George, 8-6, and swept both matchups in Provo back in 2021, 7-1 and 8-2. The two teams are scheduled to meet again in St. George on Monday, March 27, and in Provo on Wednesday, April 28.

UP NEXT
After BYU’s first of two matchups with Utah Tech, the Cougars will return to Provo for their newly scheduled doubleheader turned home opener against Idaho State on Saturday, March 18. The games are slated to have 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. MDT first pitches, with broadcast plans to be announced at a later date.