BYU softball: Cougars pick up ugly softball win

By Matt Beaudin
For the Deseret News
Published: Wednesday, May 7, 2008 12:16 a.m. MDT
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PROVO — The Brigham Young University softball team took a break from Mountain West Conference action Tuesday to take on the struggling Wolverines of UVSC. While the Cougars played well enough to get the 6-1 win, BYU coach Gordon Eakin wasn't exactly pleased with the way his team played.

"I don't think we played well. I don't think we were focused," Eakin said. "I think we came out expecting to win and we didn't have that edge."

Earlier in the week UVSC (17-34) split a doubleheader with the University of Utah, hurting the Utes' chances at an NCAA tournament at-large berth. While the focus and execution of the Cougars may not have been up to par, pitcher Paige Affleck made it difficult for the Wolverines to come in and play spoiler.

Affleck hurled five innings of one-hit softball with the solitary single coming in the top of the second. From then on she kept the UVSC batters off balance with filthy off-speed pitches.

"She threw great," Eakin said. "But she gave up two walks in the fifth inning that resulted in a run."

The Cougars (39-17) scored a run in the first when Daniela Snow singled home Kristin Delahoussaye, who led off the inning with a single of her own.

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In the second, after UVSC pitcher Alli Bramwell plunked Caschjen Davis, junior Stephanie Hopkins blasted a two-run shot over the center field fence.

Following the home run, Bramwell walked Delahoussaye, who stole her way to third and was later brought in on a Monica Gonzales single. Bramwell weathered the storm through the third and fourth, but an RBI double by Angeline Quiocho in the fifth stretched the Cougar lead to 5-1.

The lone Wolverine run came when Affleck issued back-to-back walks to Lauren Augino and Magan Niemann. Augino would later score on a double steal narrowly escaping the catcher's tag. The manufactured run was nary enough as Affleck finished the UVSC threat by striking out freshman Megan Woodworth.

In the bottom of the sixth, BYU put an exclamation point on the game when Delahoussaye laced a solo home run to left, breaking the Wolverine spirits and pushing the Cougar lead to 6-1. Sophomore pitcher Christie Zinanti came on in a non-save situation to finish of Utah Valley with two innings of near perfection.

"Any softball team can jump up and surprise you," Eakin said. "We try to go after everybody in the same fashion. We just didn't have that edge today."

3 comments

Recent comments

1 year

Anonymous | May 8, 2008 at 5:21 a.m.

Did Bramwell play at Snow College? One or two years? Go, ex-Badgers...

Walling | May 7, 2008 at 7:59 p.m.

FIRST COMMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous | May 7, 2008 at 6:49 p.m.