BYU split the day with a big win over No. 2 Tennessee and a loss to San Diego State
“It was a great effort today in both games,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “We played very well against Tennessee. We hung right in there and got a great win for our program. We played well against San Diego State, but their pitcher threw a heck of a game.“
Katie Manuma, a senior from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, gave BYU an early 3-0 lead over Tennessee with a home run over the left-center wall. Tennessee responded in the bottom of the first with a home run, scoring twice.
Both teams battled a scoreless second inning, but the Volunteers tied the game at the bottom of the third with a sacrifice fly to the left-field wall.
During the fourth, the Cougars loaded the bases with steals by Ashlee Robinson, a senior from Vall, Ariz., and Lacey Millet-Hofstedt, a junior from Folson, Calif., but the Volunteers kept them from scoring with a caught fly ball.
Mckenzie St. Clair, a freshman from Peoria, Ariz., and Manuma both homered to take back the lead and ended the game with a 6-3 win for BYU. The win demonstrated the Cougars’ progress over the season.
“I’m proud of our team and the way they competed today,” Eakin said. “We are moving in the right direction.”
Following the dramatic win over Tennessee, San Diego State won 2-0 against BYU in a pitcher’s duel.
The Aztecs scored first with an RBI single up the middle, and they managed to score again in the top of the fifth. The Cougars were unable to respond, despite various opportunities.
Within the past 11 meetings, this was the eighth time a match was decided by two or less runs.
If weather permits, BYU will play Fresno State at 3 p.m. MDT and Ole Miss at 5:30 p.m. MDT.
