PROVO, Utah - The Thunderbird softball team was in Provo on Tuesday to play a doubleheader against Brigham Young University, as the T-Birds and Cougars split the games.
SUU picked up the victory in the first game 6-5 in extra innings, before falling to BYU in the second game 14-6 in a game that was called early.
In the first game SUU's Kirsten Hostetler and BYU's McKenna Bull both pitched shutouts until the top of the second inning, when SUU's Amanda Cook drove in two runs with a double to center field.
The Thunderbirds upped their lead to 5-0 in the top of the seventh inning with a three-run homer from Kendall Kapitzke that scored Peyton Hart and Morgan Leonard.
However, BYU would not go silently into the night, as the Cougars hung five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to force the game into extra innings.
In the top of the eighth Megan Reed got on base and was driven in by Bailie Nelson, which put the T-Birds up 6-5.
Hostetler held the Cougars scoreless in the bottom of the eighth, securing a win for herself and the team.
In the second game of the doubleheader the scoring started a lot faster, as the Cougars put two runs up on the board in the bottom of the first inning. SUU responded with a run of their own in the top of the second, as Jordan Theurer scored on a wild pitch.
BYU kept the offensive momentum going in the bottom of the third, as the Cougars were able to hang five runs on the T-Birds in the bottom of the third frame.
SUU wouldn't go away, as they scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth to pull back within two runs. Unfortunately for SUU, BYU responded with three more runs in the bottom of the fourth and four more in the bottom of the fifth to put SUU away 14-6 in five innings.
Theurer finished the second game of the doubleheader 3-of-3 from the plate.
“Today was a good all around day,” SUU head coach Tom Gray said. “Kirsten pitched very well and we played outstanding defense behind her. Additionally, we had some very timely hitting. In the second game BYU came out and was very aggressive, but I felt like we matched their aggressiveness and again did a great job at the plate. I think today will help in preparing us for the upcoming weekend.”
SUU will host rival Weber State for a doubleheader on Friday starting at 12 p.m., and will wrap up the series on Saturday with a single game against the Wildcats.
All games will be broadcast online at WatchBigSky.com and updates can be followed on Twitter @SUUGameday.
