BYU softball rallies late to beat Utah for 2nd straight game
For the second straight night, Utah was on the verge of snapping a lengthy losing skid on the road at rival BYU.
And for the second consecutive night, BYU snatched a win from the jaws of defeat.
Ailana Agbayani walked it off with a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, and BYU scored all but one run in the inning to clinch the rivalry series from Utah with a 10-8 win Saturday night at Gail Miller Field.
“The emotions were high,” said Agbayani, who went 2-for-2 with three RBI for the Cougars. “We wanted to beat Utah, and it feels so good; it’s my last year. It feels nice to be able to walk it off against them.”
Keila Kamoku went 3-for-4 with three RBI, and Lily Owens added three hits for the Cougars (28-12, 10-7 Big 12), who trailed 8-1 start of the bottom of the seventh inning.
Utah, which lost its ninth game in a row, struck first in the opening frame when Emily Capobianco drove in a pair of runs. The Utes looked to build on their 2-1 advantage after loading the bases in the fourth, but BYU pitcher Kate Dahle maneuvered out of the jam to preserve the one-run game.
BYU starter Kate Dahle held the Utes to two runs on seven hits through six innings, but the Cougars couldn’t take the lead into the seventh when the right-hander came out with runners on the corners and no outs.
That’s when the Utes (12-33, 4-13 Big 12) caught fire. Reese Lee came home on a wild pitch from reliever Gianna Mares, Shelbi Ortiz added another on a sacrifice fly by Kennedy Proctor, and Sianni Sakai drilled one of the center-field fence to score Shonty Passi during a six-run seventh that turned a 2-1 edge into an 8-1 lead with three outs to play.
But BYU wasn’t done, either.
Kamoku drove in a pair with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the inning, and Lambert pulled back another on a wild pitch moments later to cut the deficit to 8-4 with no outs.
Kamoku scored from second on a base hit by Maddie Udall-Woolley, bringing Miranda Mansfield to the plate for the game-tying run with no outs and runners on first and second.
After the former Clearfield High and Salt Lake Community College standout walked to load the bases, Lauren Flanders drove in two runs with a fielders’ choice and Lily Owens’ center-field single cut the deficit to one — and set the stage for Agbayani’s walkoff wonder.
“I was just trying to see a strike and hit it,” she told the ESPN+ broadcast, “then give my team the win.”
Kaylah Nelsen went 2-for-4 for Utah, which got a pair of doubles from Lee and Kayla Lyon.
First pitch for the series finale is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. MDT.
No. 22 Arizona holds off BYU 5-4 to even series
Mason White went 2-for-4 including a three-run home run in the top of the fifth to help No. 22 Arizona bounce back with a 5-4 win over BYU at Larry H. Miller Park.
Gunner Geile also went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI for the Wildcats, who held the Cougars to four runs on 12 hits to even the three-game series.
Rider Robinson led BYU with a double and a home run among his three hits, and Cooper Vest went 3-for-4 for the Cougars. Tate Gambill was 2-for-4 with an RBI double for BYU, which hosts Arizona at 11:30 a.m. MDT in the rubber match at Miller Park.
