Softball sweeps Santa Clara series with 4-2 win

PROVO, Utah — Pitcher Chloe Temples stepped in for the save as BYU softball capped off a sweep of Santa Clara with a 4-2 win on Saturday afternoon at Gail Miller Field.

Game Highlights

• Autumn Moffat-Korth: six innings pitched, seven hits and two runs allowed with three strikeouts and an ERA of 2.08. Improves to 14-7 on the season with the win.
• Huntyr Ava: one hit, one RBI, nine putouts
• Taylei Williams: one hit, one RBI, two putouts
• Team: four runs, eight hits, four RBI, 21 putouts and 11 assists

Temples relieved starter Autumn Moffat-Korth in the seventh inning and preserved the Cougars’ win as she faced three Broncos’ batters without allowing a hit or run. Saturday marked Temples’ second save of the season.

Santa Clara scored the opening run of the day off a BYU error, taking a 1-0 lead into the second inning.

Moffat-Korth kept the Broncos at bay in the top of the second, setting up the Cougars’ first scoring strike of the day. In the bottom of the second, Alyssa Podhurcak reached third on an error in right field and scored moments later off a Marissa Chavez sacrifice fly, tying the game at one.

BYU added two more runs in the bottom of the third with Taylei Williams sending HannahJo Peterson-Mills home and Huntyr Ava bringing in Williams for the 3-1 lead.

Peterson-Mills would help extend the Cougars’ lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth as she singled to center field and brought home Alexis Gilio from second.

While Santa Clara would score on an error in the top of the seventh, it proved too little too late.

With its ninth-straight win, BYU improves to 34-10 on the season, 14-4 at home and 7-2 in West Coast Conference play, in sole possession of second-place in the league.

The Cougars head on the road for five games next week. BYU will face Utah on Tuesday, May 3 at 6 p.m. MDT followed by a matchup with UVU on Wednesday, May 4 at 4:30 p.m. MDT. A three-game series with Pacific awaits the Cougars next weekend, Friday and Saturday, May 6-7 in Stockton, California.