ST. GEORGE -- Delaney Willard's walk-off grand slam in extra innings gave BYU softball a 9-5 victory in its season debut over San Jose State at the Red Desert Classic.

It was as game filled with power clutch plays, high emotions and first game jitters, but the Cougars (1-0) managed to pull it off in the end.

"I am extremely proud of our team and the way they united together to pull out the win in the end," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "This is a good start to our season, but we know that we have a long way to go to become the team we want to be."

San Jose State was the first to put points on the board after Sarah Taylor took a 2-2 count and then homered over the center-field wall.

The Cougars were quick to respond in the bottom of the first as Kristin Delahoussaye got a base hit, and then was brought home thanks to a two-run homer from Angie Quiocho. Jessica Dugas picked up an RBI in the second inning by hitting a single straight down the left field line, bringing Willard home, making the score 3-1.

In the third inning, after Jessica Purcell-Fitu flied out to left field, Andrea Ramirez stepped to the plate, swung at the first pitch and smacked the ball over the center-field wall.

Freshman shortstop J.C. Clayton tallied her first collegiate RBI in the fifth inning by sending a shot down the third base line bringing Amanda Vance-Vellum home making the score 5-1.

The Spartans made their comeback in the top of the seventh. Natasha Hawkins was hit by a pitch, BranDee Garcia got a base hit and Taylor was walked. With two outs and bases loaded, Alyssa Sulay hit a grand slam over the right-center field wall making the game all tied up at 5 and sending the game into extra innings.

After a defensive packed top of the inning, The Cougars went to work offensively. Purcell-Fitu and Ramirez started the offensive attack with back-to-back base hits, followed by Vance-Kellum getting walked, Willard stepped to the plate.

After taking a 3-1 count, Willard squared up, and blasted the ball out of the park, bring all three runners home, winning the game 9-5.

The Cougars will continue their Red Desert Classic tournament play by returning to the field Feb. 12 to play their first doubleheader of the season against Seattle and UC Santa Barbara at 1:30 and 4 p.m., respectively.

San Jose State at Brigham Young Univ.
Feb 11, 2010 at St. George, Utah (Canyon Softball Comp)
San Jose State 5 (0-1)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Taylor, Sarah cf.........  3  2  2  1   2  1  1  0   2
Sulay, Alyssa lf.........  3  1  1  4   1  0  3  0   1
Hayes, Kayla rf..........  2  0  1  0   2  0  0  0   0
McConnell, Brittany c....  3  0  0  0   1  1  5  0   1
Fangonilo, Kelli 3b......  4  0  0  0   0  2  1  3   3
Freitas, Cheryl dh.......  3  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0
 Lopez, Ursula dh........  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Hawkins, Natasha 1b......  3  1  1  0   1  1  7  1   0
Aiello, Julianne 2b......  2  0  0  0   2  0  3  2   0
Garcia, BranDee ss.......  4  1  1  0   0  2  0  4   1
Pridmore, Amanda p.......  0  0  0  0   0  0  2  0   0
 Ames, Jennifer p........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 Imhof, Jaclyn p.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 28  5  6  5   9  8 22 10   8
Brigham Young Univ. 9 (1-0)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
DELAHOUSSAYE,Kristin 2b..  5  1  1  0   0  2  3  5   0
DUGAS, Jessica cf........  5  0  2  1   0  2  0  0   5
QUICHO, Angeline 3b......  5  1  3  2   0  0  0  2   2
PURCELL-FITU, Jess. c....  4  1  1  0   0  1  8  0   2
RAMIREZ, Andrea 1b.......  5  2  3  1   0  0 11  0   0
 THOMAS, Whitney 1b/dh...  0  1  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
VANCE-KELLUM, Amanda dh..  4  1  1  0   1  0  0  0   2
WILLARD, Delaney rf......  2  2  2  4   2  0  0  0   0
DAVIS-ATAGI,Caschjen lf..  3  0  1  0   1  0  1  0   1
CLAYTON, J.C. ss.........  3  0  1  1   1  0  1  3   0
ZINANTI, Christie p......  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
 AFFLECK, Paige p........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 36  9 15  9   5  5 24 11  12
Score by Innings                   R  H  E
------------------------------------------
San Jose State...... 100 000 40 -  5  6  0
Brigham Young Univ.. 211 010 04 -  9 15  0
------------------------------------------
Note: 1 out, 0 runners LOB when the game ended.
DP - Spartans 1; Cougars 2. LOB - Spartans 8; Cougars 12. 2B - Taylor;
QUICHO. HR - Taylor; Sulay; QUICHO; RAMIREZ; WILLARD. HBP - PURCELL-FITU;
WILLARD.
San Jose State         IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
Pridmore, Amanda....  6.0 12  5  5  3  5 29 33
Ames, Jennifer......  0.1  0  0  0  1  0  1  3
Imhof, Jaclyn.......  1.0  3  4  4  1  0  6  7
Brigham Young Univ.    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
ZINANTI, Christie...  6.2  5  5  5  8  5 23 31
AFFLECK, Paige......  1.1  1  0  0  1  3  5  6
Win - AFFLECK (1-0).  Loss - Imhof (0-1).  Save - None.
HBP - by Pridmore (PURCELL-FITU); by Ames (WILLARD).
Umpires -
Start:   Time: 2:44   Attendance: 70
Weather: Sunny and Clear. 50 Degrees
Game notes: Sunny...Not a cloud in the sky.  Around 50 degrees
San Jose State 1st - Taylor homered, RBI. Sulay walked. Hayes walked;
Sulay advanced to second. McConnell grounded into double play 2b to 1b; Hayes
out on the play; Sulay advanced to third. Fangonilo flied out to 1b. 1 run,
1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 1st - DELAHOUSSAYE singled to center field. DUGAS
struck out swinging. QUICHO homered to center field, 2 RBI; DELAHOUSSAYE
scored. PURCELL-FITU grounded out to ss. RAMIREZ singled to left field.
VANCE-KELLUM grounded out to 3b. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
San Jose State 2nd - Freitas struck out looking. Hawkins struck out
swinging. Aiello walked. Aiello advanced to second. Garcia, B. struck out
looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 2nd - WILLARD walked. DAVIS-ATAGI singled to third
base; WILLARD advanced to second. CLAYTON grounded out to 3b; DAVIS-ATAGI
advanced to second; WILLARD advanced to third. DELAHOUSSAYE struck out
swinging. DUGAS singled to third base, RBI; WILLARD scored. QUICHO out at first
ss to 2b, reached on a fielder's choice; DUGAS out on the play. 1 run, 2
hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
San Jose State 3rd - Taylor walked. Sulay out at first 3b to 2b, reached
on a fielder's choice; Taylor out on the play. Hayes singled to center field;
Sulay advanced to second. McConnell hit into double play 2b to ss to 1b; Hayes
out on the play. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 3rd - PURCELL-FITU flied out to lf. RAMIREZ homered
to center field, RBI. VANCE-KELLUM popped up to p. WILLARD singled, bunt.
DAVIS-ATAGI flied out to cf. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
San Jose State 4th - Fangonilo struck out looking. Freitas grounded out
to 2b. Hawkins grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 4th - CLAYTON flied out to lf. DELAHOUSSAYE struck
out looking. DUGAS singled, bunt, advanced to second on the error. QUICHO
singled, bunt; DUGAS advanced to third. PURCELL-FITU struck out looking. 0
runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
San Jose State 5th - Aiello grounded out to 2b. Garcia, B. grounded out
to 3b. Taylor doubled to left field. Sulay grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 1
hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 5th - RAMIREZ flied out to lf. VANCE-KELLUM singled
to right field. WILLARD walked; VANCE-KELLUM advanced to second. THOMAS to 1b
for RAMIREZ. DAVIS-ATAGI walked; WILLARD advanced to second; VANCE-KELLUM
advanced to third. RAMIREZ to 1b for THOMAS. THOMAS to dh for VANCE-KELLUM.
CLAYTON singled to left field, RBI; DAVIS-ATAGI advanced to second; WILLARD
advanced to third; THOMAS scored. DELAHOUSSAYE popped up to p. DUGAS struck out
swinging. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
San Jose State 6th - Hayes popped up to 2b. McConnell struck out
swinging. Fangonilo popped up to 1b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 6th - VANCE-KELLUM to dh for THOMAS. QUICHO doubled
to center field. PURCELL-FITU hit by pitch. RAMIREZ hit into double play ss to
2b to 1b; PURCELL-FITU out on the play. VANCE-KELLUM grounded out to 2b. 0
runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
San Jose State 7th - Freitas grounded out to p. Hawkins walked. Aiello
flied out to lf. Garcia, B. singled to center field; Hawkins advanced to
second. Taylor walked; Garcia, B. advanced to second; Hawkins advanced to
third. Sulay homered to right field, 4 RBI; Taylor scored; Garcia, B. scored;
Hawkins scored. Hayes walked. McConnell walked; Hayes advanced to second.
AFFLECK to p for ZINANTI. Fangonilo struck out looking. 4 runs, 2 hits, 0
errors, 2 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 7th - Ames to p for Pridmore. WILLARD hit by pitch.
DAVIS-ATAGI out at first 1b to 2b, bunt; WILLARD advanced to second. CLAYTON
walked. Imhof to p for Ames. DELAHOUSSAYE popped up to 3b. DUGAS grounded out
to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
San Jose State 8th - Lopez, U. to dh for Freitas. Lopez, U. grounded out
to ss. Hawkins singled to right field. Aiello walked; Hawkins advanced to
second. Garcia, B. struck out swinging. Taylor struck out swinging. 0 runs,
1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 8th - QUICHO grounded out to ss. PURCELL-FITU
singled to center field. RAMIREZ singled to right field; PURCELL-FITU advanced
to third. VANCE-KELLUM walked; RAMIREZ advanced to second. WILLARD homered, 4
RBI; VANCE-KELLUM scored; RAMIREZ scored; PURCELL-FITU scored. 4 runs, 3
hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

PROVO -- On Thursday BYU's season debut in softball begins as it hosts the 11-team Red Desert Classic in St. George.

"We are very excited and the team has been preparing hard," said Angie Quiocho, a senior from Walnut, Calif. "This is where we first hit the dirt, and we are anxious to see how we do."

The Cougars face off against San Jose State for the first game on Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. Joining BYU in the tourney are Utah, Utah State, Utah Valley, Idaho State, Maine, Seattle, Tulsa, UC Santa Barbara, Northern Colorado and San Jose State.

"Our coaching staff has really been supportive and they constantly motivate us to reach our greatest potential as a team," said Tiffany Messerschmidt, a sophomore from Thousand Oaks, Calif. "We, as a team, make every practice game-like by hitting against our pitchers which are the best in the conference. I know that we have prepared ourselves well for St. George."

BYU has opened their fourth-straight season by hosting the tournament at the Canyons Softball Complex.

On Friday the Cougars compete back-to-back against Seattle at 1:30 p.m., and then Santa Barbara at 4 p.m.

BYU plays its second doubleheader of the season on Saturday against Maine and Tulsa at 1:30 and 4 p.m. respectively.

With eight starters returning to the team, including both pitchers and All-American Jessica Pucell-Fitu, the Cougars hope to remain a force to be reckoned with.

In 2009 the Cougars finished the season 40-18, 12-2 MWC, competing in the fifth-consecutive NCAA Tournament. The Red Desert Classic is the first of seven tournaments for the Cougars, who return to St. George on April 2-3 for the Pre- Conference Tournament.

All Red Desert Classic games are listed below and will be updated during the tournament.

Red Desert Classic
Thu, Feb 11
BYU (5)         vs. San Jose St.   9-5 (BYU)
UCSB (5)        vs. No. Colorado   6-3 (UCSB)
Maine (1)       vs. Idaho St.      6-5 (Idaho State)
  
Fri, Feb 12
No. Colo.(5)    vs. Seattle       8-7 (Northern Colorado)
Maine (1)       vs. Utah St.      7-6 (Utah State)
Utah (4)        vs. San Jose St.  8-0 (Utah...in 5 innings)
Tulsa (3)       vs. Idaho St      8-0 (Tulsa)
Seattle (5)     vs. BYU           3-2 (BYU)
Utah Valley (1) vs. Maine         10-8 (UVU)
Utah St. (4)    vs. Idaho St.     9-0 (Utah State)
Tulsa (3)       vs. UCSB          3-1 (UCSB)
BYU (5)         vs. UCSB          13-3 (BYU)
San Jose St.(1) vs. Utah Valley   7-3 (San Jose State)
Utah (4)        vs. No. Colorado  6-5 (Utah)
  
Sat, Feb 13
UCSB (5)        vs. Maine         3-2 (UCSB)
Idaho St. (1)   vs. Utah          5-3 (Utah)
San Jose St.(4) vs. No. Colorado  15-8 (San Jose State)
Tulsa (3)       vs. Utah St.      8-1 (Tulsa)
Maine (5)       vs. BYU           9-1 (BYU)
Utah Valley (1) vs. Idaho St.     10-4 (UVU)
San Jose St.(4) vs. Seattle       7-3 (San Jose State)
No. Colo. (3)   vs. Utah St.      7-3 (Utah State)
BYU (5)         vs. Tulsa         7-5 (BYU)
UCSB (1)        vs. Utah Valley   4-2 (UCSB)
Seattle (4)     vs. Utah          9-1 (Utah)
Sun, Feb 14
Utah (5)        vs. Tulsa         6-5 (Utah)
Seattle (1)     vs. Utah St.      4-3 (Utah State)
Final Standings
BYU          5-0
Utah         5-0
UCSB         4-1
Utah St.     4-1
San Jose St. 3-1
Tulsa        2-3
UVU          2-2
Idaho St.    1-4
N. Colo.     1-4
Maine        0-5
Seattle      0-5