Acosta’s back-to-back homers a bright spot in BYU softball’s series setback to Kansas

After riding the highs of a late-game heroics Friday night, BYU softball came crashing back to earth Saturday in a 10–3 loss to Kansas.

The Cougars’ homestand against the Jayhawks began Thursday night, when BYU trailed 6–0 in the fifth inning but cut the deficit to 6–4 by the seventh.

BYU responded Friday. In that game, the Jayhawks erased a three-run deficit, but the Cougars ultimately secured the win with a seventh-inning home run from Danica Acosta — the first of her career — leveling the series at 1–1 heading into Saturday.

In the series finale, the Cougars suffered their worst home loss of the season, falling 10–3 in a game that remained close through the third inning. An unanswered two-run fourth inning, followed by five more Kansas runs in the sixth, put the game out of reach for the home squad.

Despite the lopsided result, a bright spot for BYU was sophomore Acosta, who blasted her second home run in as many days — marking the second of her career — to cap the game.

The second-year Cougar spoke postgame about what she saw defensively that hurt the team.

“I think we had some defensive errors that put our pitchers in tough spots,” Acosta said. “But I felt like I had a good day at the plate, which gave me a better look at pitches and timing. That’s what softball is all about. I think we competed overall, and our bats are starting to come alive, so it’s a good steppingstone heading into the next series.”

In four at-bats, Acosta recorded three hits and scored a run, extending her career-long streak to five consecutive games with a run. Her three hits also tied a career high, a mark she has reached twice before, most recently a month ago against UCLA.

The California native also spoke about how her training, along with her faith, has guided her recent success at the plate.

“I think I’m just trusting my training,” Acosta said. “I’ve been praying a lot about it, and I feel like God has given me the strength to go out there and glorify Him in all I do. I’m really grateful for that.”

The loss drops BYU’s record to 11–22 overall and just 2–7 in Big 12 play, a stark contrast to its 32–17 mark a year ago, which included a 13–11 record against conference opponents. Currently, BYU sits second to last in the Big 12, ahead of only Houston, which is 1–10 in conference play.

Ultimately, BYU will need to find its rhythm on both sides of the ball to turn the season around which was something Acosta emphasized postgame.

“Defensively, we struggled a little bit,” Acosta said. “If we can clean that up and stay in games, we’ll be able to compete more and rely on our bats.”

Fortunately for the Cougars, there is still time to shift the season in the right direction, with 18 games remaining in the 2026 campaign. However, the road ahead does not get any easier, as BYU travels to Lubbock to face No. 2 Texas Tech, with the series opener set for Thursday, April 2 at 5 p.m. MDT.