PROVO, Utah — BYU softball swept Idaho State in its doubleheader home opener at Gail Miller Park on Saturday afternoon, beating the Bengals 10-1 in game one, and 12-0 in game two, both via the five inning run rule.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE

Pitcher Chloe Temples debuted in the circle for the first time in Provo this year, striking out seven batters, her second-most on the season. In game two, the Cougars scored a season-high eight runs in one inning, while Kaysen Korth fanned six Idaho State batters.

Game One: BYU 10 — Idaho State 1 (5)

Player Highlights

• Chloe Temples: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 7 K
• Huntyr Ava: 1 HR, 2 H, 2 R, 3 RBI
• Hailey Morrow: 2 R, 1 H, 1 RBI

Temples struck out her first three batters to start off the day and the BYU offense followed through on her momentum, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Maddie Bejarano walked and Violet Zavodnik got hit by a pitch.  An RBI double by cleanup hitter Ava gave the Cougars their first run of the day, with Bejarano scoring on the play. A bunt by Hailey Morrow took Zavodnik’s pinch runner, Alexis Gilio, home for a 2-0 BYU lead.

Mallory Barber then reached an error by ISU’s first baseman, scoring Morrow and Ava. Jaelynn Lambert recorded a bunt single to score Epenesa, and Barber would score on Lauren Flanders' fielder's choice.

In the bottom of the second, BYU piled on three more runs. After Gilio singled, Ava homered to center to put the Cougars ahead 8-0. Later, Barber got an RBI single for Morrow to score her second run of the day. In the next inning, Ailana Agbayani singled up the middle to score Flanders, putting BYU up 10-0.

The Bengals got on the board in the top of the fourth when Angelina Cano hit a triple followed by Ava Brown’s RBI double. Temples retired the Idaho State side in order in the fifth inning, however, to conclude the Cougars' 10-1 run-rule victory.

Game Two: BYU 12 — Idaho State 0 (5)

Player Highlights

• Huntyr Ava: 2 R, 2 H, 5 RBI, 1 HR
• Kaysen Korth: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 6 K

Freshman Kaysen Korth started in the circle for game two, striking out three Idaho State batters in the top of the first inning. BYU then picked up right where it left off in game one, exploding for eight runs in the first frame, the most in a single inning this year for the Cougars.

BYU batted around the order in the inning, tallying six hits, including Ava's second home run of the day, this one out to center field. Bejarano scored twice in the frame, with Agbayani, Ava, Morrow, Alyssa Podhurcak-Foss, Bennett, pinch running for Breezy Hayward, and Jaelynn Lambert each scoring one run apiece. 

The Cougars added two more runs in the bottom of the second with Gilio doubling to center field to score Martha Epenesa, and Hayward scoring on a Taryn Lennon groundout.

In the top of the third, a big play by BYU’s defense kept the Bengals from scoring when Paige Simpson was tagged out at home plate by Morrow on a throw from Bejarano in center that was relayed by Podhurcak-Foss. The Cougars scored two more times in the bottom of the third, with runs by Morrow and Ava.

BYU tacked on another pair of runs in the third, with Ava drawing a walk and Morrow doubling to left. Podhurcak-Foss singled up the middle to score them both and put the Cougars in front, 12-0. 

Idaho State was retired in order in the fourth inning, earned a single in the fifth, but had a strikeout and groundout end game two via the run-rule as well.

Up Next
Next week, BYU is set to host Boise State on Tuesday, March 21 at 5 p.m. MDT, with live coverage on the BYUtv app.

PROVO, Utah — Coming off a 3-1 win at Utah Tech on Thursday afternoon, BYU softball will host Idaho State in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. MDT at Gail Miller Field.

The newly scheduled doubleheader against the Bengals will be the Cougars' home opener this season after the team's originally scheduled 2023 home opener against Utah earlier in the week had to be postponed due to inclement weather. 

Game Information

• Live Stream: BYUtv app
• Talent: Dave McCann and Gary Sheide
• Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 (Stat Broadcast)
• Admission: Free

LAST TIME OUT
The freshmen led the way in BYU's win over the Trailblazers on Thursday as pitcher Kaysen Korth registered 13 strikeouts and catcher Hailey Morrow's 2-run homer proved to be the difference in the game. 

Korth pitched a complete game, giving up just five hits and one run. Morrow went 2-for-3 at the plate with one run and 2 RBI for the day. Left fielder Maddie Bejarano went 1-for-3 with a run scored. 

LET 'EM FLY
The Cougars have alternated weekends hitting home runs after recording none the opening weekend in Mexico or at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in week three. BYU launched nine long bombs in just four games at the Littlewood Classic during week two, and four at the Trailblazer Tournament in St. George in week four.

Morrow and center fielder Violet Zavodnik each blasted a pair of long shots for the Cougars at the tourney two weeks ago. After a week off, Morrow's two-run jack Thursday continued the trend for BYU. The Cougars look to add to their home run tally, now at 14 on the year, on Saturday with two games against Idaho State. 

LEFT FIELD LEADER
Bejarano continues to lead the team offensively this season, reaching base safely in all of BYU’s 18 games this year while batting .396 with an on-base percentage of .508. 

TEAM & INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Cougars rank in the top-100 nationally in five statistical categories: hit batters (No. 20, 5), fielding percentage (No. 50, .973), home runs per game (No. 68, 0.78), scoring (No. 71, 5.11), strikeout-to-walk ratio (No. 91, 2.24) and on-base percentage (No. 92, .363)

Four BYU players also find their names amongst the top 50 of the individual statistical categories. Zavodnik ranks No. 14 in hit by pitch per game (0.39), while Korth is No. 26 in strikeouts per seven innings (10.2) and No. 27 in total strikeouts (87). Bejarano ranks No. 38 in sacrifice bunts per game (0.22) and Korth is also No. 43 in total wins, with eight. 

A LOOK AT IDAHO STATE (8-15, 0-0 Big Sky)
The Bengals also had a pair of series canceled (North Dakota State and Santa Clara) due to winter weather this week, allowing the two teams to meet for the second and third time in the last two weeks. Idaho State has lost two straight, falling to Minnesota and North Dakota State after beating Central Michigan in Minnesota last week. The Bengals won four games in a row earlier in the season, beating Texas and Illinois-Chicago twice in Lake Charles, Louisiana, back in February.

Two seasons in as head coach at Idaho State, Andrew Rich is 33-42 (.440). BYU leads the all-time series, 17-2. The Cougars are 13-1 against the Bengals at Gail Miller Field and have won the last five matchups dating back to 2014. The two teams are scheduled to play three more times after Saturday, with Idaho State returning to Provo for a second doubleheader next Saturday, March 25, and BYU making the trip to Pocatello on Tuesday, April 4. 

UP NEXT
The Cougars will remain in Provo next week for a four-game homestand, beginning with a Tuesday evening matchup against Boise State at 5 p.m. MDT. BYU will then host Utah State on Thursday, March 23, also at 5 p.m., and a second Saturday doubleheader against Idaho State in as many weeks, with first pitches scheduled for 1 p.m and 3 p.m MDT.