Cougars outlast Beach, close out Mary Nutter with 6-5 win

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. — BYU softball outlasted Long Beach State, 6-5 as its Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic competition concluded at the Big League Dreams Complex on Saturday afternoon.

BOX SCORE

The Beach out-hit the Cougars 11 to nine, with each team recording one error, but three two-run innings helped BYU (7-5, 0-0) slide past Long Beach State to close of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with a win. 

Player Highlights

• Kaysen Korth: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 K
• Ailana Agbayani: 2-4, R, RBI
• Violet Zavodnik: 2-3, RBI
• Alexis Gilio: 2-3, R, RBI

LBSU opened the top of the first inning with a run, bringing one around to score after a walk, hit by pitch, flyout and single to take a 1-0 lead.

BYU answered in its half of the first, loading the bases with Maddie Bejarano drawing a leadoff walk, Ailana Agbayani slapping a single and Martha Epenesa earning a walk as well. Hailey Morrow singled up the middle to score Bejarano and Agbayani, putting the Cougars ahead 2-1.  

Alexis Gilio opened the second inning with a double to center field before Bejarano drew another walk. Zavodnik singled to left field, scoring Gilio, and Epenesa singled down the left field line to score Bejarano as BYU tacked on two runs to its lead, going in front 4-1.

A single, fielder's choice and double to right center helped the Beach plate one in the top of the third, cutting into the Cougar lead at 4-2. 

Both teams stranded a runner in the fourth inning before scoring two runs apiece in the fifth. Two singles, a walk and a flyout helped Long Beach State score two runs to tie the game at 4-4, but BYU quickly regained its two-run lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Coming in as a pinch hitter, Emma Andrewjeski lined a single up the middle, with her pinch runner, Mallory Barber, moving to second as Alyssa Podhurcak-Foss reached on a bunt fielding error by the Beach.

A Tristen Turlington sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position, and Gilio roped a double off the outfield piping in right-center field to score Barber, with Agbayani singling to bring home Podhurcak-Foss, making it 6-4, Cougars.

Three Long Beach State singles helped the Beach get a run back in the top of the sixth, inching closer to BYU at 6-5. The Cougars stranded a potential insurance run in Zavodnik at second base in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Kaysen Korth made quick work of LBSU in the seventh, forcing two groundouts and a flyout to seal the 6-5 win for the BYU.

The Cougars will return to the state of Utah, heading to St. George next weekend for the Trailblazer Tournament. BYU will play Oregon State for a second time this season in the tournament-opening game on Thursday, March 2. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. MST, with the game being streamed on WAC International.