PROVO, Utah – Coco Taualii had four RBI in game one and Megan Arnold had three in game two during Tuesday’s doubleheader to lead the Cougars to two 8-0 wins over Southern Utah at Gail Miller Field.

“I thought we played solid today in all three aspects, pitching, defense and offense, and it’s nice to take care of business two games in a row,” head coach Gordon Eakin said. “I thought Hannah threw a real nice game and I thought Tori gave us four really good innings.”

Game one

Hannah Howell (12-14) pitched 5 and 2/3 inning of relief to earn the win in game one. Coco Taualii led four Cougars who registered a multi-hit game, going 4 for 4 with three RBI and one run scored. JC Clayton recorded three hits and Carly Duckworth and Madisen Robb each added two hits.

BYU pitcher Howell relieved starting pitcher Caroline Umphlett with the bases loaded in the first inning and got two outs to get the Cougars out of a jam.

In the third inning, BYU took advantage of timely hitting to score three runs. Bravo and Katie Manuma reached to load the bases and a walk to Alexandra Hudson Shamo allowed the first run to score. Taualii then laced a two-RBI double to left-center field to plate Bravo and Manuma for the 3-0 lead.

A throwing error on the final out of the fourth inning allowed the Cougars to score two more runs. Bravo laid down a bunt and the throw to first was behind the first baseman to score Clayton from third. Manuma also smacked a single to left-center field to score Bravo in the inning, who had stole second base to put herself into scoring position.

Robb made an outstanding play at third base to keep the Thunderbirds off the board in the top of the fifth. The SUU batter drilled a liner towards third that Robb robbed out of the air and threw to first for the final out.

BYU added another run in the bottom of the frame off a sacrifice bunt by Bailie Hicken to score Taualii.

In the sixth inning, Duckworth crushed a lead-off double to left-center field to spark a two-run inning for BYU. Jenna Goar drew a walk and then Megan Arnold moved Duckworth and Goar to third and second on a grounder to the pitcher. Taualii floated a single just over the shortstop’s glove to plate Duckworth and move Goar to third. Robb followed with a single up the middle for the walk-off 8-0 victory, ending the game due to the eight-run mercy rule.  

Game two

Mylee Davis led the team, going a perfect 3 for 3 while Arnold punched in two hits, two runs scored and three RBI in game two. Tori Almond improved to 9-6 on the season after throwing four scoreless innings and giving up just three hits.

In the top of the first, the Cougars took control early with three-straight outs to start the game. Ashlee Brawley Robinson highlighted the inning with a 5-4-3 double play. 

While at bat, Lacey Millet scored BYU’s first run of the night after reaching on an infield single. She stole second as well as third, and a single from Bravo sent Millett home. With Bravo on first, Taualii and Duckworth were both hit by the pitcher. Bravo scored on a wild pitch to extend the Cougars lead to 2-0.

With Duckworth and Manuma on base, Arnold hit a double that bounced off the center-field fence to send both players home and give the Cougars a 4-0 lead. A single from Robinson sent Arnold in for one final score in the first inning for the 5-0 advantage.

In the top of the third, Almond struck out two and the third was out at first. SUU followed suit by making quick work of BYU to end the third.

After walking the first two runners in the top of the fourth, Almond forced two fly balls, which were both caught by Duckworth, and then struck out the last batter to get out of the jam. 

In the bottom of the fourth, BYU scored three more runs to give the team an 8-0 lead. Bravo came up to bat first for the Cougars and smacked a base hit up the middle. With Bravo on third, Taualii smoked a double to score Bravo for a 6-0 advantage. Another hit from Arnold sent Taualii in for another score and then a double from Davis, her first of the season and third hit of the night, sent Arnold home for an 8-0 lead.

SUU looked to score to stay in the game and avoide the mercy rule again in the top of the fifth inning. With two batters on base, Mikkel Griffin hit a shallow ball to center field, which nearly scored teammate Kelli Hales. However, Duckworth threw a strike to BYU’s catcher Davis, who chased the runner back to third and eventually tagged her for the out. A backhand play from Taualii for the final out gave the Cougars their second 8-0 win of the night.

The Cougars return to Gail Miller field Friday and Saturday for back-to-back double headers against Saint Mary’s. The games on Friday begin at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. MDT followed by games on Saturday, which will begin at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. MDT. Saturday will be senior day for the Cougars, recognizing JC Clayton, Bailie Hicken, Alexandra Hudson Shamo and Hannah Howell. All games will be broadcast live on BYUtv.

PROVO, Utah—The BYU softball team will face Southern Utah in an in-state doubleheader matchup this Tuesday, before playing Saint Mary’s on Friday and Saturday to close out conference play.

Tuesday and Friday’s doubleheaders will both begin at 5 p.m. MDT, while Saturday’s doubleheader will begin at 11 a.m. MDT. Following the conclusion of the last game on Saturday, the BYU coaching staff will recognize the four seniors on this year’s roster including JC Clayton, Bailie Hicken, Hannah Howell and Alexandra Hudson Shamo.

BYU QUICK HITS

• BYU’s freshmen stepped it up in the team’s series against CSU Bakersfield. Gordy Bravo hit .462 (6x13) and had five runs scored and four RBI, alongside a triple and double. Coco Taualii hit .417 (5x12) and had one home run, six RBI and two runs scored.
• Sophomore pitcher Caroline Umphlett went 2-0 against CSU Bakersfield to earn her first win since Feb. 9 against Idaho State in the first tournament of the season.
• BYU has an overall record of 42-4 against Southern Utah and is on a 27-game winning streak against the Thunderbirds.
• This will be the first time that BYU and Saint Mary’s will play at Gail Miller Field. BYU has an overall record of 4-0 against the Gaels and this conference series will be the last of the season for both teams.

SENIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

The BYU softball team will recognize its seniors JC Clayton, Bailie Hicken, Hannah Howell and Alexandra Hudson Shamo on Saturday following the conclusion of the series against Saint Mary’s. 

JC Clayton has had a record-breaking year, becoming the all-time leader in career hits at BYU. She also set the single-game record for stolen bases in a game with four against San Diego and is just two stolen bases away from tying the all-time career record at BYU. Clayton was named to the Top 50 Watch List for the 2013 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year at the start of the season, is a three-time PCSC Player of the Week and an Easton Second-Team All-American.

Bailie Hicken leads the team in PCSC statistics with a .367 clip. She has nine runs scored in conference play and a career-high five RBI. Hicken hit the first double of her career against Santa Clara and had a career-high three hits, two runs scored and two RBI in the game. Last year Hicken was named to the Academic All-WAC team and is also a WAC Scholar-Athlete.

Hannah Howell pitched just the second perfect game in BYU softball history against LMU on Apr. 13. She was named the PCSC Pitcher of the Week for the week of Apr. 14-20 and PCSC College Madness Player of the Week for the week of Mar. 17-23. Howell has a 1.44 ERA in conference play and has given up just 12 earned runs in 12 appearances. She has 35 strikeouts alongside a record of 7-2 in PCSC play.

Alexandra Hudson Shamo has had the best season of her career, hitting a career-high .350 alongside career highs in hits (42), runs (14), walks (27), triples (2), and putouts (45). Shamo leads the conference with an on-base percentage of .473.

OPPONENT NOTES

SOUTHERN UTAH

With a record of 16-30 on the season, SUU heads to Provo in search of its first win against the Cougars since 2006. The Thunderbirds have three batters hitting over .300 on the season in Kelsey Bryant, Mikkel Griffin and Madison Resley. SUU’s top four batters have 23 of the team’s 25 home runs on the season. Bryant, hitting a .349 clip to lead the team, also leads the team with 28 runs scored and 35 RBI. Pitcher Ariel Zimmerman has made the most appearances on the mound with 36 on the season. She has a record of 10-17 for the Thunderbirds and leads the team with a 4.51 ERA.

SAINT MARY’S

Saint Mary’s has a record of 20-27 on the season and is 11-9 in PCSC play. The Gaels are led by Megan Smith, who is hitting a .309 clip alongside a team-high 26 RBI. Brittany Sabatini provides speed and power for the team, leading them with 25 runs scored and nine stolen bases. She also has four home runs and five doubles on the season. Lujane Mussadi leads the team from the mound with a 1.76 season ERA and a record of 13-10. She’s only given up 44 earned runs in 37 appearances. With a season batting average of .202 Saint Mary’s is way below BYU’s average of .289. However, the Gaels have out-hit BYU in home runs with 23 to the Cougars’ 14.

WHERE TO WATCH

Live stats will be available for all games through the BYU softball schedule page, while Friday and Saturday’s doubleheaders against Saint Mary’s will also be broadcast live on BYUtv and online at byutvsports.com.