BYU picks up wins over Stanford and San Jose State at Stanford Invitational

STANFORD, Calif. — BYU softball pushed its winning streak to six in a row, defeating Stanford and San Jose State University in two back-and-forth games at the Stanford Invitational on Thursday evening. In Stanford’s home opener, the Cougars defeated the Cardinal 4-3, and later won 8-5 over SJSU.

GAME ONE

Player Highlights

• Autumn Moffat-Korth: 7 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 H
• Mallory Barber: 1 R, 1 H, 2 RBI
• Macy Simmons: 2 H, 2 RBI

Game Highlights

• The Cougars scored four runs in the sixth inning to secure the win, after trailing 2-0 to Stanford at the close of the fifth.

Catcher Macy Simmons singled in center field for BYU’s first hit of the game in the top of the third inning. Violet Zavodnik singled to deep left field for BYU’s second hit, but the Cougars were unable to get on the scoreboard and had two runners left on base at the end of the top of the third.

Stanford scored first, with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 2-0 lead following the end of the fifth.

The Cougars fought back in the top of the sixth inning, scoring four runs. Mallory Barber singled through the left side and with great base running from Marissa Chavez and HannahJo Mills to even the score at 2-2. Later, Simmons singled down the line of left field, bringing home Barber and Martha Epenesa.

Stanford followed up with one run in the bottom of the sixth, but came up scoreless in the final inning and the Cougars won 4-3.

GAME TWO

Player Highlights

• Macy Simmons: 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI
• Violet Zavodnik:  2 H, 2 R, 1 SB
• Huntyr Ava: 2 H, 2 RBI

Game Highlights

• The Cougars came back from a 4-1 deficit after the top of the fourth inning.
• Macy Simmons hit the first home run of her BYU career.

The Cougars got the first run of the night on the Spartans with a single to center field from Ava, allowing left fielder Taryn Lennon to score. 

San Jose State wouldn’t earn its first hit until the bottom of the third. In the next inning, the Spartans stepped on the gas with four runs, to up their lead to 4-1.

BYU was forced to make something happen in the bottom of the fourth. Zavodnik scored on a base hit from Chavez and Brooke Hill-Barrington doubled to bring Chavez home to narrow SJSU’s lead to 4-3.

The Spartans scored another run in the top of the fifth, upping the score to 5-3.

In the bottom of the fifth, Ava's infield hit to SJSU’s pitcher allowed Mills to score. Next, Zavodnik stole home to even the score at 5-5. 

The Spartans didn’t score in the top of the sixth, and Simmons homered to left center bringing home Chavez and Epenesa to lift the Cougars to a three-run lead at 8-5. It was Simmons first home run of her BYU career.

Pitcher Autumn Moffat-Korth stranded a runner at second base with back-to-back strikeouts of the Spartans in the top of the seventh, forcing the game to end at 8-5.

Up Next

Friday, the Cougars will play the he University of Illinois at Chicago at Smith Family Stadium at 12 p.m. PST on Pac-12 Plus.