MĀNOA, Hawai’i — BYU softball shut out Missouri-Kansas City, 3-0 in game one of a doubleheader on its final day of the Paradise Classic at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium on Saturday.
“Pure heart all day,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “Gianna coming back strong today was clutch. In game two, Violet robbing a 2-run home run, Chloe giving a great effort to keep us in the game and the 3-run, two-out home run by Ailana was all just incredible! Story book!”
The Cougars broke a scoreless tie after three innings with two runs in the fourth. Locked in a pitcher’s dual for majority of the game, BYU and UMKC combined for just nine hits.
Freshman lefty Gianna Mares went six innings before senior and fellow left-hander Chloe Temples came in to pitch the seventh. The pair of southpaws tallied six strikeouts together in the shut out.
Player Highlights
- Huntyr Ava: 2-3, RBI
- Violet Zavodnik: 1-2, R
- Gianna Mares (W, 1-0): 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
- Chloe Temples (S, 1): 1 IP, ) H, 0 ER, 1 K
After a combined five runners left on base between both teams to start the game, BYU broke it open in the fourth with Huntyr Ava beating out an infield single to lead off the inning. Violet Zavodnik walked and then both her and Lexie Bennett, pinch running for Ava, moved around on a wild pitch before scoring on a Keila Kamoku sacrifice fly and Macy Simmons sacrifice bunt that put the Cougars up two.
BYU threatened again in the fifth inning, loading the bases before a ground out down the third base line left three runners stranded.
The Cougars added an insurance run in the seventh with Lily Owens earning a leadoff hit-by-pitch. She advanced to second on Ailana Agbayani’s fielder’s choice and to third on a Maddie Bejarano sacrifice bunt, scoring on an infield single by Ava to make it 3-0, BYU.
UMKC got a leadoff single in the home half of the seventh, but the Roos' next three batters went down in order to seal the 3-0 shutout win for the Cougars.
BYU will face the University of Hawai’i in game two of its Saturday doubleheader in the Cougars’ final game of the Paradise Classic. First pitch is slated for 3:50 p.m. HST, but the game is currently in a rain delay.