Ava leads BYU to doubleheader sweep of Idaho State

PROVO, Utah — BYU softball swept Idaho State in its doubleheader home opener at Gail Miller Park on Saturday afternoon, beating the Bengals 10-1 in game one, and 12-0 in game two, both via the five inning run rule.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE

Pitcher Chloe Temples debuted in the circle for the first time in Provo this year, striking out seven batters, her second-most on the season. In game two, the Cougars scored a season-high eight runs in one inning, while Kaysen Korth fanned six Idaho State batters.

Game One: BYU 10 — Idaho State 1 (5)

Player Highlights

• Chloe Temples: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 7 K
• Huntyr Ava: 1 HR, 2 H, 2 R, 3 RBI
• Hailey Morrow: 2 R, 1 H, 1 RBI

Temples struck out her first three batters to start off the day and the BYU offense followed through on her momentum, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Maddie Bejarano walked and Violet Zavodnik got hit by a pitch.  An RBI double by cleanup hitter Ava gave the Cougars their first run of the day, with Bejarano scoring on the play. A bunt by Hailey Morrow took Zavodnik’s pinch runner, Alexis Gilio, home for a 2-0 BYU lead.

Mallory Barber then reached an error by ISU’s first baseman, scoring Morrow and Ava. Jaelynn Lambert recorded a bunt single to score Epenesa, and Barber would score on Lauren Flanders' fielder's choice.

In the bottom of the second, BYU piled on three more runs. After Gilio singled, Ava homered to center to put the Cougars ahead 8-0. Later, Barber got an RBI single for Morrow to score her second run of the day. In the next inning, Ailana Agbayani singled up the middle to score Flanders, putting BYU up 10-0.

The Bengals got on the board in the top of the fourth when Angelina Cano hit a triple followed by Ava Brown’s RBI double. Temples retired the Idaho State side in order in the fifth inning, however, to conclude the Cougars' 10-1 run-rule victory.

Game Two: BYU 12 — Idaho State 0 (5)

Player Highlights

• Huntyr Ava: 2 R, 2 H, 5 RBI, 1 HR
• Kaysen Korth: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 6 K

Freshman Kaysen Korth started in the circle for game two, striking out three Idaho State batters in the top of the first inning. BYU then picked up right where it left off in game one, exploding for eight runs in the first frame, the most in a single inning this year for the Cougars.

BYU batted around the order in the inning, tallying six hits, including Ava's second home run of the day, this one out to center field. Bejarano scored twice in the frame, with Agbayani, Ava, Morrow, Alyssa Podhurcak-Foss, Bennett, pinch running for Breezy Hayward, and Jaelynn Lambert each scoring one run apiece. 

The Cougars added two more runs in the bottom of the second with Gilio doubling to center field to score Martha Epenesa, and Hayward scoring on a Taryn Lennon groundout.

In the top of the third, a big play by BYU’s defense kept the Bengals from scoring when Paige Simpson was tagged out at home plate by Morrow on a throw from Bejarano in center that was relayed by Podhurcak-Foss. The Cougars scored two more times in the bottom of the third, with runs by Morrow and Ava.

BYU tacked on another pair of runs in the third, with Ava drawing a walk and Morrow doubling to left. Podhurcak-Foss singled up the middle to score them both and put the Cougars in front, 12-0. 

Idaho State was retired in order in the fourth inning, earned a single in the fifth, but had a strikeout and groundout end game two via the run-rule as well.

Up Next
Next week, BYU is set to host Boise State on Tuesday, March 21 at 5 p.m. MDT, with live coverage on the BYUtv app.