RUSTON, La. - The BYU softball team took its series against Louisiana Tech 2-1 after losing 6-4 in game one and winning 5-1 in game two of a doubleheader on Saturday.

With two series against Western Athletic Conference teams to play now, BYU is 30-13 overall and 9-4 in conference, good for third place.

In game one, the Cougars held a 1-0 lead through before the wheels came off in the fifth when BYU gave up all six of Louisiana Tech's runs on a collection of walks, singles, and three fielding errors.

Down in a 6-1 hole, Ashlee Brawley led off the sixth with her first career home run, a solo shot over the left field fence. 

BYU scored two more runs on a single by Jessica Dugas that scored Krista Hicks who had reached on an error and a double by Delaney Willard that scored Dugas.

Brawley reached first base on an error in the seventh, but the comeback attempt fell short.

Brawley had two hits, including the home run, with a run, an RBI and a walk. Willard went 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI.

Game Two

Katie Manuma followed up a two-hit game one by getting two more in the second as BYU bounced back to win game three.

Louisiana native Hannah Howell won her second game in as many days over the Lady Techsters, following a 1-hitter on Friday with a four-strikeout complete game.

Senior Krista Hicks hit her first home run of the season late in the game and JC Clayton went 3 for 4 for BYU.

Following a Dugas single and a stolen base, Willard hit an RBI single to right field for the game's first run in the top of the first. BYU collected two more in the third, hitting three straight singles to load the bases before a fourth single by Manuma brought in a run. Alexandra Hudson's groundout scored another, taking the score to 3-0.

Louisiana Tech loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth, but Howell answered back with three consecutive outs, the second a sac fly that scored one run, to preserve BYU's lead.

Two more runs by the Cougars in the final inning, one from the Hicks home run and another by Bailie Hicken, helped BYU close out the win.

BYU will host its final home series this weekend when the Cougars play San Jose State on Friday and Saturday. Fireworks are planned following Friday night's contest while Saturday will be Senior Day for five Cougars.

PROVO, Utah - Riding a four-game win streak in Western Athletic Conference play, the BYU softball team travels to Louisiana Tech for a three-game series this weekend.

BYU (28-12, 7-3 WAC) sits third in the conference standings while Lousiana Tech (18-23, 5-6) is sixth of eight teams after losing three games to No. 14 Hawai'i a week ago.

Cougar head coach Gordon Eakin will look to get his 400th career win over the weekend as he currently has an all-time record of 399-172 (.699) in his tenth season. Eakin is a three-time Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year who has led BYU to seven-straight NCAA tournament appearances.
 

COUGAR QUICK HITS
— BYU head coach Gordon Eakin is one win away from his 400th career victory and currently sits at a record of 399-172 in his 10th year as head coach.
— BYU junior pitcher Hannah Howell is returning to her home state of Louisiana this weekend as the Cougars play in the state for the first time ever. Howell, the only BYU softball player to ever come out of the state, leads the Cougars with 13 wins in 19 starts in addition to having two saves and 92 strikeouts on the year, all team highs.
— Senior outfielder Delaney Willard was named on of the Top 25 finalists for the 2012 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Willard has emerged as an All-America candidate and is currently ranked in the NCAA top-20 in six different categories, including RBI per game (2nd, 1.50), slugging percentage (6th, .939), batting average (11th, .447), home runs per game (13th, 0.35), on base percentage (15th, .542) and home runs (17th, 14).
— With the newest RPI rankings released on Monday, BYU was ranked 36th, second-highest in the WAC. The Cougars have three wins over top-15 teams while all but one of BYU’s 12 losses have been to teams ranked 65th or better.

OPPONENT NOTES - LOUISIANA TECH
•    BYU and Louisiana Tech have not played each other in 11 years. In the Cougars second year as a D1 program, the two teams faced off with BYU winning both games at a tournament in Arlington, Texas.
•    This is BYU’s first-ever trip to play in the state of Louisiana.
•    The Lady Techsters are 7-2 at home this season, including two wins against Utah State and a three-game sweep of New Mexico State.
•    Janna Frandrup is the best hitter for LA Tech with 35 hits and 25 RBI on the season. She also draws more walks than almost anyone in the nation, having walked 34 times this season on the way to a .514 on base percentage. Frandrup has also appeared 13 times as a pitcher and has a 1.51 ERA.
•    Louisiana Tech’s go-to hurler is Michelle Jones who sits at a 2.87 ERA and 11-10 record. She has 53 strikeouts, 59 walks and 54 earned runs in 131.2 innings pitched.
•    The Lady Techsters have had trouble seeing the ball this season and are last in the WAC with a .238 team batting average overall and a .219 in conference games. The team is also last in the conference with a .947 overall fielding percentage.
•    BYU and Louisiana Tech have no common opponents outside of conference play. In the WAC, LA Tech is 5-6, having gone 2-1 vs. Utah State, 0-2 vs. SJSU, 3-0 vs. New Mexico State and 0-3 vs. Hawaii. Conversely, BYU is 3-0 vs. Utah State, 3-0 vs. New Mexico State and 1-1 vs. Hawaii.

LAST WEEK
PROVO, Utah - BYU swept its Western Athletic Conference series at home against Utah State last weekend, winning in a rout, 15-6, before edging out close wins by scores of 2-0 and 6-4 in the final two games.
Stacie Toney hit a walk-off home run in game three to cap a thrilling, final-inning comeback. Toney also hit a home run in the first game to end the contest in six innings.
Delaney Willard had 4 RBI in game one and hit the game-tying home run in the seventh inning of game three two batters before Toney’s walk-off.
in game two, Tori Almond pitched a complete game shutout with six strikeouts to help the Cougars, who also beat UVU and lost at Idaho State earlier in the week.
BYU improved to 28-12 and 7-3 in the WAC, good for third place in the conference.

CLUTCH COUGARS
BYU has six walk-off wins this season and seven wins overall in the seventh inning, including last weekend in game three against Utah State when Stacie Toney hit walk-off home run to give BYU a 6-4 victory.

Opponent - Score going into 7th - Final Score - How Won
Oregon    1-1    2-1    Brawley reach on error, Duckworth run
Indiana    5-7    8-7    Dugas walk-off, 2-RBI single
Saint Joseph’s    1-2    3-2    Messerschmidt reach on error, Hudson run
Long Beach State    1-1    2-1    Duckworth walk-off, RBI-single
New Mexico State    2-2    3-2    Goar walk-off, RBI double
New Mexico State    3-3    6-3    Willard walk-off, 3-RBI home run
Utah State    3-4    6-4    Toney walk-off, 2-RBI home run