CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. — BYU softball tallied 18 runs on 20 hits as it beat Bethune-Cookman, 18-5 in its Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic opener at Yankee Field on Thursday afternoon.
BOX SCORE
A six-run second inning that featured a Violet Zavodnik grand slam helped the Cougars (9-2, 0-0 Big 12) pull away early, and a nine-run fifth all but sealed the deal.
Player Highlights
- Violet Zavodnik: 3-4, R, 5 RBI
- Ailana Agbayani: 2-2, 3 R, RBI
- Taryn Lennon: 3-4, 2 R, 3 RBI
- Gianna Mares (W, 2-1): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K
BYU scored first in the top of the first inning with Ailana Agbayani leading off with a four-pitch walk and Maddie Bejarano doubling to center for an early 1-0 lead.
Plating six in the second inning, Keila Kamoku and Hailey Morrow both reached base before Taryn Lennon singled through the right side to make it 3-0. Ailana Agbayani and Bejarano joined Lennon on the base paths, and Zavodnik took a 2-0 pitch just over the fence in right center for a grand slam and 7-0 lead.
Kamoku led off the top the the third with a single to third, and her pinch runner, Tristen Turlington, came in to score on a Maddie Udall double.Jaelynn Lambert, pinch running for Udall, moved to third on a Lennon single and score on an Ailana Agbayani single, giving the Cougars a 9-0 advantage.
Pouring it on in the fourth, BYU sent 15 batters to the plate as it doubled its lead to 18-0, scoring nine more runs on nine hits, including a two-run homer by Huntyr Ava.
Bethune-Cookman plated one in the bottom of the fourth and four in the fifth to cut into the lead, but two strikeouts and a line out to Breezy Hayward at third base shut the door on the Wildcats for a run-rule win.
Up Next
The Cougars will play the second game of their Mary Nutter-opening doubleheader on Friday, Feb. 22 against UC Riverside. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.