Cougars sweep series with Iowa State

PROVO, Utah – BYU closed out its series sweep of Iowa State with an 11-7 win on Saturday at Gail Miller Field, after a clutch rally in the fifth inning.

Player Highlights

• Violet Zavodnik: 3-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI
• Huntyr Ava: 3-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI
• Chloe Temples: 6.2 IP, 10 H, 6 K

BYU opened the game with a bang. Violet Zavodnik hit a first-inning home run, bringing two runners around the bases with her, putting the Cougars up three early on. BYU kept the pressure on, causing an Iowa State pitching change in the bottom of the first.

The Cyclones had a scoring opportunity in the second, however, the run was called back because of a batting order error on Iowa State. BYU capitalized off of the error, allowing no runs. 

The Cougars picked things back up, throwing a runner out at third to end the top of the third. Zavodnik opened the bottom of the third with her second home run of the afternoon, stretching the BYU lead. Huntyr Ava followed with a double, as her ball landed just inside the first base foul line.

BYU added another run to the scoreboard to extend the lead once again. Zavodnik sent in the runner with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth. 

Iowa State started a comeback in the fifth inning. The Cyclones hit an RBI double and followed by scoring on a passed ball. Iowa State did not stop there, scoring four runs off two RBI doubles, taking the lead, 6-5, with one out.

The Cougars did not stay behind long as Alyssa Podhurcak scored off a Marissa Chaves double in the bottom of the fifth. BYU then loaded the bases as Martha Epenesa stepped up to the plate. Epenesa hit the ball between first and second for a two-RBI single to put the Cougars back ahead 8-6.

The Cyclones tried to close the gap once again, scoring their seventh run in the sixth, but in the bottom-half of the inning, Ava hit BYU's third home run of the afternoon as she sent the ball out of the park for the Cougars’ 10th run of the afternoon. Flanders ran in for BYU’s second of the inning off a Mallory Barber RBI single. That would conclude the scoring, as the Cougars took the four-run victory.

BYU hosts New Mexico next week in a doubleheader on Thursday, March 31, the first game starting at 5 p.m. MDT. The game will be available on BYUtv.org and the BYUtv app.