Cougars drop home opener to Stanford 5-4

PROVO, Utah – BYU softball’s late rally fell short in a 5-4 loss to Stanford in the home opener at Gail Miller Field on Wednesday.

Player Highlights

• Arissa Paulson: 1-3, 1R, 3RBI, HR
• Brooke Hill Barrington: 1-3, 1R, 1RBI, HR

To open up the game, Stanford scored two runs in the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 advantage. 

BYU quickly countered as Jensen reached on a walk in the bottom of the first frame before advancing to second on a Peterson single. Paulson smacked one out of the park to bring both runners home and give BYU a 3-2 lead.

The Cardinal reclaimed the lead, 4-3, with another two runs in the top of the second inning. Stanford added another run at the top of the fourth to extend its advantage to 5-3.

A solo homer by Brooke Hill-Barrington, her first of the season, closed the gap to 5-4 in the bottom of the fourth. Paulson totaled three strikeouts as the Cardinal went three up, three down in the top of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

The Cougars couldn’t complete the comeback in the bottom of the seventh and Stanford secured the 5-4 win.

BYU will continue its homestand with a doubleheader against Boise State on Friday, March 26 at Gail Miller Field. The first game is set to start at 2:30 p.m. MDT with the second game scheduled for 5 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on BYUtv.org.