BYU came back in Saturday's doubleheader against San Diego, winning 2-1 and 4-3 after losing Friday night's no-hitter, 4-0.
'We're so proud of our team today for fighting through a weekend that we didn't play our best and taking 2-of-3 from San Diego,' said BYU head coach Gordon Eakin.
Friday night's WCC debut for BYU proved difficult as San Diego's Cassidy Coleman struck out the entire team in a no-hitter, with the final score of 4-0. The game was the Toreros' third no-hitter in the school's history and was also Coleman's seventh win of this season.
Katie Manuma hits a home run during a recent game. (Photo by Chris Bunker)
San Diego started strong in the first inning of Friday night's game with three runs off seven hits but left nine runners on base because of BYU's defense. BYU's starting pitcher McKenna Bull had five strikeouts in three innings but her efforts alone were not enough. The Toreros scored the winning run in the third frame.
Saturday proved to be better luck for the Cougars. In the morning, they breezed through the 2-1 victory over the Toreros, who didn't score a run until the last inning. The afternoon was a tougher win; BYU came from behind in the bottom of the seventh when Sydney Broderick scored a home run to help the Cougars pull ahead 4-3.
'Winning on the road in conference play is always a difficult task,' Eakin said. 'Even though we didn't hit on all cylinders this weekend, we got it done when it counted.'
The morning game saw no plays until the fifth inning, when Carly Duckworth doubled to left field and Broderick doubled to right field. Then in the seventh, San Diego managed to score one run, putting the final score at 2-1, BYU.
The highlight of Saturday's twin bill was the exciting comeback at the end of the afternoon cap. San Diego had a 3-1 lead in the top of the seventh when Ashlee Robinson doubled to right field, allowing Lacey Millett Hofstedt to advance to third. Broderick's homer to right field gave the girls time to all cross home plate and win the game.
The Cougars will next play UVU this Thursday in Orem at 3 p.m. (MDT).