Cougars homer twice in 7-2 loss to No. 2 Bruins

Ailana Agbayani tags out UCLA runner stealing at Gail Miller Field on May 1, 2023

PROVO, Utah — Despite two solo home runs, BYU softball fell to No. 2 UCLA, 7-2 at Gail Miller Field on Monday afternoon.

BOX SCORE

The Cougars (28-14, 7-2 WCC) saw their six-game winning streak come to an end as UCLA extended its own to 21. BYU recorded six hits and two home runs, with one from senior Huntyr Ava and another from junior Violet Zavodnik.

Player Highlights

Tristen Turlington: 2-3, 2B
Huntyr Ava: 1-3, HR
Violet Zavodnik: 1-3, HR
Kaysen Korth: 3.1 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 5 K

UCLA got on the board early after a sacrifice fly gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead. The Cougars held UCLA scoreless through the next two innings while giving up only one hit as Korth pitched a near-perfect third inning, striking out batters one and two before the third grounded out.

Tristen Turlington recorded BYU’s first hit of the day with a double to left center. Agbayani then notched a single on a beautifully-placed hit down the left field line before the third inning ended with Agbayani still on base.

In the top of the fourth inning, the Bruins picked up two runs after an error to extend its lead to 3-0. After stealing a base, a single up the middle led to another score. Chloe Temples came on in relief before UCLA scored on a passed ball to make it 5-0.

Huntyr Ava began the bottom of the fourth inning with a bang, blasting a home run to center field to cut the deficit to 5-1. The hit was Ava’s 12th homer of the season, a team-high.

Temples pitched three-consecutive strikeouts in the top of the fifth inning. Turlington posted the Cougars’ lone hit of the inning with a single up the middle.

Neither team would score again until the final inning when UCLA recorded two hits and two runs. With the score at 7-1 and two outs for the Cougars, Zavodnik connected on a home run to right field for her eighth homer of the season to make it 7-2.

BYU will now prepare for its three-game set against WCC foe Pacific. The Cougars and Tigers will begin their series with a doubleheader on Friday, May 5. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. MDT, and both games will be streamed on the BYUtv app.