PROVO -- Playing on home dirt for the first in its history, the BYU softball team hung tough with rival Utah, but dropped both games of a doubleheader against theUtes, 3-1, and 7-5.

The Cougars took the field in the first game before an estimated 600 fans at Harmon Park. The Utes struck early, scoring a run in the top of the first inning, and tacked on additional runs in the fourth and fifth innings. The Cougars responded in the sixth when a Ute error allowed a run to score, but could not narrow the margin to snag the win. Maryon Dewitt took the loss for the Cougars to fall to 5-8 on the season, while Kristin Arbogast went the distance for Utah.

As close as the first game was, the second game was even closer. Both teams traded runs, and even home runs as Cougar outfielder Brooke Cadiente followed up Nicole Wilkinson's shot with her third of the season. The game was knotted at 4-4 following the end of the seventh inning, forcing extra innings. The eighth went scoreless, but in the top of the ninth, the Utes capitalized on several Cougar errors to score three. BYU answered back with one run in the bottom of the inning, but lost, 7-5. Meghann Pricer took the loss to fall to 4-10, while Arbogast won her second decision of the day to go to 26-15 on the season.

Right fielder Brooke Cadiente led the Cougars with three hits in the games, including a two-run homer and a double, while first baseman Mindi Hanson tallied four hits.

The Cougars fell to 10-19, 2-8 MWC, while the Utes improved to 26-19, 7-3 MWC. The Cougars will take the field again next weekend against San Diego State and UNLV.

After two months and 27 games, the BYU softball team finally heads back to Provo to play the first home games in its history. The Cougars will take on rival the University of Utah in a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. at Harmon Field, located south of campus. The games will also mark the first meeting between BYU head coach Mary Kay Amicone and her former team. Amicone was an assistant coach at Utah for seven seasons and also played second base for the Utes .

Last Weekend

The Cougars dropped two games against Mountain West Conference leader New Mexico last Friday, 5-0 and 9-3. In Fort Collins, BYU dropped the first game Saturday against Colorado State, 6-0, before rebounding to win, 8-3, and snap its season-long six-game losing streak. Lindsay Jones,

pitching in a rare start, picked up her first win of the season in the complete-game effort against the Rams.

Injury Report

Third baseman Tracy Farley, out with a broken cheekbone and orbital lobe, has missed action for nearly two months and will not be back on the field this weekend. She is possible for next weekend's games against San Diego State and UNLV. In her place, Megan Johnson has taken over at the hot

corner.

BYU Probable Starters

•C -Cassie Martin - R/R, Fr. (.280, 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 RBI)

•1B - Mindy Hanson - R/R, Jr. (.254, 18 hits, 7 runs, 13 RBI)

•2B - Jackie Ellis - R/R, Jr. (.263, 17 hits, 13 runs, 9 RBI)

•SS - Becca Erickson - R/R, Jr. (.260, 20 hits, 8 runs, 6 RBI)

•3B - Megan Johnson - R/R, Fr. (.135, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 RBI)

•RF - Brooke Cadiente - R/L, Fr. (.149, 11 hits, 9 runs, 11 RBI)

•CF - Liz Smith - L/R, So. (.301, 25 hits, 13 runs, 4 RBI)

•LF - Lindsay Hodgen - R/R, Jr. (.253, 21 hits, 13 runs, 3 RBI)

Roster Notes

Catcher Cassie Martin will likely catch one game and DH the other as she continues limited action following her return from ankle surgery. Junior Angie Christiansen will be on hand to catch the other game.

Pitching Notes

Junior Maryon Dewitt will get the call in the first game of this weekend's doubleheader. Dewitt lost two games last weekend to fall to 5-7 on the year, but remained the team leader in strikeouts with 59. Her ERA is at 3.35. Junior Lindsay Jones is likely to start the second game against Utah inplace of Meghann Pricer, who has experienced problems with her wrist and fallen into a personal six-game slump. Jones picked up the Cougars' lone win last

weekend for her first of the season. Jones threw a complete game, also her first of the season. She is 1-1 with a 6.10 ERA in 20.2 innings.

BYU Team Leaders

Sophomore outfielder Liz Smith moved back to the top of the Cougar leader list over the weekend with her team-high .301 season batting average. Three Cougars are tied with 13 runs scored (Smith, Jackie Ellis, Lindsay Hodgen), while first baseman Mindy Hanson remains the RBI leader with 13.

Cougars on the Basepaths

BYU leads the Mountain West Conference with 16 stolen bases in eight games of intraconference play, while Liz Smith leads all players with five stolen bases in those games. Overall, Cougar outfielder Lindsay Hodgen is tied for the stolen base lead with Utah's Lisa Hashimoto-Hall with 16 stolen bases on the year. The Cougars have successfully stolen at least one base in 21 of their 26 games.

Scouting Utah

The preseason favorite to finish first in the Mountain West Conference as voted upon by its coaches, the Utes come to Provo with a 24-18, 5-3 MWC record. Utah is third in the most recent Mountain West Conference standings after Colorado State pulled off a surprise sweep of the Utes last weekend. Utah then split with second-place New Mexico. The team is led by catcher Sunny Smith, who has started in every game to post a .370 batting average. Overall, the Utes boast five regular players who have racked up averages over .300. Onthe mound, sophomore Kristin Arbogast has carried the Utes, compiling a 23-15 record and 3.10 ERA. Arbogast has received 38 of the 42 pitching decisions this season for Utah.

Utah Probable Starters

•C - Sunny Smith - (.370, 44 hits, 34 runs, 37 RBI)

•1B - Nicole Wilkinson - (.238, 24 hits, 12 runs, 21 RBI)

•2B - Stacy O'Farrell - (.268, 30 hits, 11 runs, 7 RBI)

•SS - Michele Larsen - (.246, 30 hits, 19 runs, 15 RBI)

•3B - Lyndsey Trevis - (.303, 36 hits, 26 runs, 39 RBI)

•RF - Molly McLean - (.301, 40 hits, 29 runs, 7 RBI)

•CF - Jenny Monson - (.239, 17 hits, 14 runs, 14 RBI)

•LF - Lisa Hashimoto-Hall - (.350, 43 hits, 27 runs, 12 RBI)

•DH - Niki Hayhurst - (.352, 45 hits, 15 runs, 28 RBI)

BYU Home Field

Before calling Gail Miller Field home next year, the Cougars will play at Harmon Field, located south of campus at 900 East 250 South.