Cougars Rip Utah State in Home Opener

OREM -- Playing its first home games of the year Wednesday at Utah Valley State College, the BYU softball team beat Utah State in both games of a doubleheader, 8-0 and 11-1, respectively. Both games were called after the top-of-the-fifth due to the eight-run rule.

In the first game, the Cougars (17-15) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when senior Becca Erickson hit a two-run triple, driving in Brooke Cadiente and Oli Keohohou. BYU tacked on six more runs in the fourth inning to put the game out of reach. Cadiente and Elizabeth Pierce-Boydston each singled to center field and both scored on an Angie Christiansen double. With the bases loaded, junior Liz Smith walked in a run and Kari Pringle doubled to drive in two more runs. Keohohou reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Smith to put the Cougars up 8-0. Pitcher Maryon DeWitt-Wallentine (8-9) went the distance, giving up no runs and no hits while striking out six.

"We're just playing well all-around and seem to be coming together both offensively and defensively," BYU coach Mary Kay Amicone said. "The pitching staff is coming together nicely and I'm very pleased."

Utah State (4-18) got on the board first in the second game when Casey Smith doubled and advanced to third on a passed ball. She then scored on a sacrifice fly by Shannon Acevedo. BYU, however, came right back and put eight runs on the board in its half of the first inning. Four of those runs came from an Erickson grand slam while Keohohou also knocked in two runs as the Cougars went up 8-1. A Keohohou home run in the second, measured at 393 feet, and a two-RBI double by Cadiente in the third put BYU up 11-1. Meghann Pricer (6-4) pitched four inning, giving up one run on one hit while striking out two.

With the wins, BYU improves to 17-15 on the year. The Cougars begin conference play March 29 with a doubleheader against Colorado State at 1 p.m. in Ft. Collins, Col.

The Automated ScoreBook
                          Utah State at Brigham Young
                    Mar 21, 2001 at Orem, Utah (UVSC Field)
Utah State 0 (4-17)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Smith cf.................  2  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   1
Rodriguez 2b.............  2  0  0  0   0  2  0  1   0
Acevedo rf...............  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Vasarhely 3b.............  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  2   0
BeJarnette dh............  2  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0
Nickle c.................  2  0  0  0   0  2  3  0   0
Curtis ss................  1  0  0  0   1  0  1  2   0
Conrad 1b................  1  0  0  0   0  0  7  0   0
Hopkins lf...............  1  0  0  0   0  0  1  0   0
Hommel p.................  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
 Ramirez p...............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 15  0  0  0   1  6 12  6   1
Brigham Young 8 (16-15)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
HODGEN-KELLY,Lindsey cf..  3  1  1  0   0  1  1  0   0
SMITH, Liz lf............  2  1  0  1   1  0  1  0   0
PRINGLE, Kari 2b.........  3  0  2  2   0  0  1  0   0
KEOHOHOU, Oli rf.........  3  1  1  1   0  0  1  0   1
CADIENTE, Brooke dh......  2  2  1  0   1  0  0  0   0
BOYDSTON, Liz 1b.........  3  1  1  0   0  0  3  0   2
ERICKSON, Becca ss.......  2  0  1  2   0  1  1  3   0
CHRISTIANSEN, Angie c....  2  1  1  2   0  1  6  0   0
JOHNSON, M. 3b...........  2  1  0  0   0  0  1  2   1
DEWITT-WALLE p...........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 22  8  8  8   2  3 15  5   4
Score by Innings               R  H  E
--------------------------------------
Utah State.......... 000 00 -  0  0  1
Brigham Young....... 020 6X -  8  8  0
--------------------------------------
E - Curtis. LOB - Aggies 1; BYU 4. 2B - PRINGLE; CHRISTIANSEN. 3B -
ERICKSON.
Utah State             IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
Hommel..............  3.1  6  5  5  1  3 16 17
Ramirez.............  0.2  2  3  2  1  0  6  7
Brigham Young          IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
DEWITT-WALLE........  5.0  0  0  0  1  6 15 16
Win - DEWITT-WALLE (8-9).  Loss - Hommel (0-9).  Save - None.
PB - Nickle.
Umpires -
Start:   Time:   Attendance:
Game: BYU31
Game notes:
Game 1 of doubleheader
The Automated ScoreBook
                          Utah State at Brigham Young
                    Mar 21, 2001 at Orem, Utah (UVSC Field)
Utah State 1 (4-18)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Smith rf.................  2  1  1  0   0  0  3  1   0
Mansfield 2b.............  2  0  0  0   0  1  1  4   1
Acevedo lf...............  1  0  0  1   0  0  0  0   0
Vasarhely c..............  2  0  0  0   0  0  1  1   0
BeJarnette dh............  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Tarbet 1b................  2  0  0  0   0  0  5  0   0
Johnson 3b...............  2  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   0
Andrews cf...............  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Curtis ss................  1  0  0  0   0  0  2  2   0
Spencer p................  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 Ramirez p...............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 16  1  1  1   0  2 12  8   1
Brigham Young 11 (17-15)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
HODGEN-KELLY,Lindsey cf..  3  2  3  0   0  0  1  0   0
 FERNLEY, Emily cf.......  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
SMITH, Liz lf............  3  2  1  0   0  0  1  0   0
 HOLLAND, Laura lf.......  1  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   2
PRINGLE, Kari 2b.........  2  1  0  0   1  0  0  0   1
KEOHOHOU, Oli rf.........  2  2  2  3   1  0  1  0   0
CADIENTE, Brooke dh......  2  1  2  2   1  0  0  0   0
BOYDSTON, Liz 3b.........  2  1  0  1   0  0  0  1   0
 FARLEY, Tracy 3b........  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  2   2
HANSON, Mindy 1b.........  2  1  1  1   1  0  6  0   0
ERICKSON, Becca ss.......  2  1  1  3   0  0  3  1   0
 ROBERTS, Jill ph........  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
CHRISTIANSEN, Angie c....  2  0  0  0   0  0  2  0   0
 POLK, Cynthia ph........  0  0  0  0   1  0  0  0   0
 JOHNSON, J. c...........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
PRICER, Meghann p........  0  0  0  0   0  0  1  0   0
 CAPRA, Ariel p..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 24 11 10 10   5  1 15  4   6
Score by Innings               R  H  E
--------------------------------------
Utah State.......... 100 00 -  1  1  4
Brigham Young....... 812 0X - 11 10  1
--------------------------------------
E - Mansfield 2; Spencer; Ramirez; PRICER. LOB - Aggies 1; BYU 6. 2B -
Smith. HR - KEOHOHOU; ERICKSON. SF - Acevedo. SB - HODGEN-KELLY 3; SMITH. CS
- ERICKSON.
Utah State             IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
Spencer.............  1.1  4  7  5  3  1 10 13
Ramirez.............  2.2  6  4  4  2  0 14 16
Brigham Young          IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
PRICER, Meghann.....  4.0  1  1  1  0  2 13 14
CAPRA, Ariel........  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  3  3
Win - PRICER (6-4).  Loss - Spencer (4-6).  Save - None.
PB - CHRISTIANSEN.
Umpires -
Start:   Time:   Attendance:
Game: BYU32
Spencer faced 7 batters in the 1st.