Zinanti Throws Shutout in Home Opener

PROVO -- The BYU softball team beat South Dakota State 8-0 after the eight-run rule was enacted after five innings in the Cougars' home opener on Monday at Gail Miller Field.

After going 13-11 in 24-straight road games, the Cougars bounced back with seven hits and no errors.

"It's nice to play at home," BYU coach Gordon Eakin said. "The biggest issue is that our players get back to school and get to sleep in their own beds."

The Cougars looked well rested, putting the Jackrabbits away in just one hour and 11 minutes.

BYU sophomore Christie Zinanti pitched her second shutout of the year, giving up just three hits. Zinanti's ERA now stands at 2.96, and her record is 4-6.

"Zinanti can obviously be a dominating pitcher," Eakin said. "She was throwing in the 66 to 68 (mph) range and that's where she needs to be."

Whitney Nix led the Cougars at the plate with three RBIs and two runs on three plate appearances. Amanda Vance and Angeline Quiocho had the only two home runs in the game.

Vance hit a two-run homer over the center field wall to put the Cougars up 2-0 in the first inning. Vance, a transfer from Dixie State, tallied her fourth home run of the year.

In the second inning, Nix hit a hard groundball to Jessica Vineyard, the Jackrabbit's shortstop. Vineyard mishandled the ball, scoring BYU freshman Jessica Purcell from third. Later in the inning, Caschjen Davis hit a line drive up the third-base line, bringing Nix home from third.

Quiocho, BYU's leading home run hitter, hit a solo shot over the center field wall in the third inning to give the Cougars a 5-0 lead. Nix kept the pressure on the Jackrabbits in the third with a knifing two-run double that flew by the head of Vineyard. Kristin Delahoussaye knocked in Nix to finish the inning.

The Jackrabbits played solid defense in the fourth inning, limiting the Cougars to two pop outs to right field, one hit and a strikeout by junior pitcher Jenna Marston. But, Zinanti's pitching and the Cougars' bats proved too much for SDSU.

The Cougars will be in action on Tuesday at Gail Miller Field against Utah State at 4 p.m. BYU leads the all-time series 24-2.

"One thing about softball, as opposed to football or basketball where you worry about matchups, is that that we don't focus on our opponent," Eakin said. "You can't ever take anybody for granted."

Box Score
                            The Automated ScoreBook
                   South Dakota State at Brigham Young Univ.
                Mar 17, 2008 at Provo, Utah (Gail Miller Field)
South Dakota State 0 (6-16)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
HEINZMAN, Sam cf.........  2  0  0  0   0  0  1  0   0
POSTMA, Brooke lf........  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   1
VINEYARD, Jessica ss.....  2  0  1  0   0  0  0  5   0
DURAZO, Ashley 3b........  2  0  1  0   0  0  0  0   0
BROSHAR, Dani c..........  2  0  0  0   0  1  2  0   0
POSTMA, Brittany rf......  2  0  0  0   0  1  2  0   1
EVANS, Stacey dp.........  2  0  0  0   0  2  0  0   1
SCHWEDHELM, Kiley 1b.....  2  0  1  0   0  0  1  1   0
STROH, Greta 2b..........  1  0  0  0   0  0  6  0   0
MARSTON, Jenna p.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 17  0  3  0   0  4 12  7   3
Brigham Young Univ. 8 (14-11)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
DELAHOUSSAYE,Kristin 2b/s  2  1  1  1   0  0  0  2   0
DAVIS, Caschjen lf/dp....  2  0  1  1   0  0  0  0   0
VANCE, Amanda ss/2b......  3  1  1  2   0  0  1  1   1
SNOW, Daniela 1b.........  2  0  1  0   1  0  9  0   0
 GONZALES, Monica pr.....  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
WILLING, Emi cf..........  3  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   1
QUIOCHO, Angeline 3b.....  2  1  1  1   0  0  1  3   1
PURCELL, Jessica c.......  1  2  1  0   0  0  4  0   0
HOPKINS, Stephanie rf....  1  1  0  0   1  0  0  0   0
NIX, Whitney dp/lf.......  2  2  1  3   0  0  0  0   0
ZINANTI, Christie p......  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  3   0
Totals................... 18  8  7  8   2  1 15  9   3
Score by Innings               R  H  E
--------------------------------------
South Dakota State.. 000 00 -  0  3  2
Brigham Young Univ.. 224 0X -  8  7  0
--------------------------------------
E - VINEYARD; BROSHAR. LOB - SDASU 3; BY 3. 2B - DURAZO; SNOW; NIX. HR -
VANCE; QUIOCHO. HBP - DELAHOUSSAYE; PURCELL. SH - STROH; DAVIS. SB - PURCELL
2; NIX.
South Dakota State     IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
MARSTON, Jenna......  4.0  7  8  7  2  1 18 23
Brigham Young Univ.    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
ZINANTI, Christie...  5.0  3  0  0  0  4 17 18
Win - ZINANTI (4-6).  Loss - MARSTON (6-13).  Save - None.
HBP - by MARSTON (DELAHOUSSAYE); by MARSTON (PURCELL).
Umpires - HP: Terry Balser  1B: Claire McBride  3B: Brett Higgins
Start: 3:01   Time: 1:11   Attendance:
Game: SDASU1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Play-by-Play
                            The Automated ScoreBook
            South Dakota State at Brigham Young Univ. - Play-by-Play
                Mar 17, 2008 at Provo, Utah (Gail Miller Field)
Score by Innings               R  H  E
--------------------------------------
South Dakota State.. 000 00 -  0  3  2
Brigham Young Univ.. 224 0X -  8  7  0
--------------------------------------
South Dakota State starters: 10/cf HEINZMAN; 13/lf Bro. POSTMA; 5/ss VINEYARD;
4/3b DURAZO; 16/c BROSHAR; 12/rf Bri. POSTMA; 15/dp EVANS; 8/1b SCHWEDHELM;
3/2b STROH; 11/p MARSTON;
Brigham Young Univ. starters: 4/2b DELAHOUSSAYE; 9/lf DAVIS; 6/ss VANCE; 22/1b
SNOW; 18/cf WILLING; 33/3b QUIOCHO; 10/c PURCELL; 5/rf HOPKINS; 1/dp NIX; 14/p
ZINANTI;
South Dakota State 1st - HEINZMAN grounded out to 2b. Bro. POSTMA
grounded out to p. VINEYARD grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0
LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 1st - DELAHOUSSAYE hit by pitch. DAVIS out at first
1b to 2b, SAC; DELAHOUSSAYE advanced to second. VANCE homered to center field,
2 RBI; DELAHOUSSAYE scored. SNOW walked. WILLING reached on a fielder's choice;
SNOW out at second ss to 2b. QUIOCHO out at first ss to 2b. 2 runs, 1 hit, 0
errors, 1 LOB.
South Dakota State 2nd - DURAZO doubled to right field. BROSHAR struck
out swinging. Bri. POSTMA struck out swinging. EVANS struck out looking. 0
runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 2nd - PURCELL hit by pitch. HOPKINS fouled out to c.
PURCELL stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error by c. NIX reached
on an error by ss, RBI; PURCELL scored. NIX stole second. DELAHOUSSAYE grounded
out to ss; NIX advanced to third. DAVIS singled to left field, RBI; NIX scored,
unearned. VANCE out at first ss to 2b. 2 runs, 1 hit, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
South Dakota State 3rd - SCHWEDHELM singled up the middle. STROH
grounded out to 3b unassisted, SAC; SCHWEDHELM advanced to second. HEINZMAN
grounded out to 3b. Bro. POSTMA grounded out to p. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors,
1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 3rd - SNOW out at first ss to 2b. WILLING flied out
to cf. QUIOCHO homered to center field, RBI. PURCELL singled to shortstop.
PURCELL stole second. HOPKINS walked. NIX doubled to center field, 2 RBI;
HOPKINS scored; PURCELL scored. DELAHOUSSAYE singled, out at second lf to 2b,
RBI; NIX scored. 4 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
South Dakota State 4th - DAVIS to dp. DELAHOUSSAYE to ss. VANCE to 2b.
NIX to lf. VINEYARD singled up the middle. DURAZO grounded out to p; VINEYARD
advanced to second. BROSHAR reached on a fielder's choice; VINEYARD out at
second 3b to 2b. Bri. POSTMA grounded out to 1b unassisted. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0
errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 4th - DAVIS flied out to rf. VANCE flied out to rf.
SNOW doubled to center field. GONZALES pinch ran for SNOW. WILLING struck out
looking. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
South Dakota State 5th - SNOW to 1b for GONZALES. EVANS struck out
swinging. SCHWEDHELM grounded out to 3b. STROH grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 0
hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.