Cougars split games on second day of Campbell Cartier Classic

SAN DIEGO  – The BYU softball team split its games on the second day of the Campbell Cartier Classic beating Southern Utah 11-2 but falling 8-3 to Cal State Fullerton on Friday afternoon.

"We started out the day playing solid softball," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "We even started the Fullerton game well but we had some mental mistakes in the third inning of the Fullerton game and just could not recover. We will learn from that experience and be better next time."

Game One

Game Highlights:

• BYU totaled 10 hits in the game coming from eight different players including two from Rylee Jensen-McFarland and Emilee Erickson
• Freshmen Reggie Kanagawa and Carley Brown combined to secure the win for BYU. It was Kanagawa’s first appearance for BYU and Brown was credited with her first career win.
• Emilee Erickson recorded her first homer of the season while also going 2 for 3 with three runs and two RBI

Player Highlights:

• Emilee Erickson: 2-3, 3R, 2RBI, 2B, HR, BB
• Rylee Jensen-McFarland: 2-3, 2R, 1RBI, BB, HBP
• Reggie Kanagawa: 3.0 IP, 4H, 0ER, 1BB, 4K

BYU vs. SUU Box Score

The Cougars started the game out strong putting up five runs in the top of the first inning. Rylee Jensen-McFarland, HannahJo Peterson, Arissa Paulson, Martha Epenesa and Emilee Erickson all tallied runs. The inning was highlighted when Erickson blasted a homer to left field to also score Epenesa making the score 5-0.

Jensen-McFarland tallied another run in the top of the second frame followed by Erickson scoring in the top of the third to increase BYU’s lead to 7-0.

Southern Utah got on the board with a run in the bottom of the third to make the score 7-1. But, the Cougars added another run in the fourth inning to go up 8-1.

The thunderbirds made it home again in the bottom of the fifth but the Cougars solidified the win putting up three runs in the top of the seventh inning as Erickson, Morgan Bevell and Marissa Chavez all crossed the plate to bring the score to 11-2.

Carley Brown closed out the final four innings for BYU and earned her first career win.

Game Two

Player Highlights:

• Taylei Williams: 2-3, 1R, 2B
• Huntyr Ava: 2-3, 2RBI, 2B, BB
• Rylee Jensen-McFarland: 1-3, 1RBI

BYU vs. Cal State Fullerton Box Score

The Cougars got on the board first in the bottom of the first frame. Singles from both Peterson and Taylei Williams got BYU in scoring position. Huntyr Ava followed with a single of her own to score Peterson as the Cougars went up 1-0.

However, in the top of the third inning, Cal State Fullerton found its groove and put up four runs to take the lead. BYU countered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning to make the score 4-2 but the Titans continued scoring putting up two unanswered runs in the next two innings to make the score 8-2.

BYU was able to add another run in the sixth frame but the Cougars were unable to catch CSF and took the 8-3 loss.

The Cougars conclude the Campbell Cartier Classic on Saturday, Feb. 15 with rematches against Cal State Fullerton at 11:30 a.m. PT and San Diego State at 4:30 p.m. PT.