BYU softball completes sweep in first Big 12 series against Utah – Deseret News
2025-04-19T23:51:23Z
BYU celebrates scoring two runs, allowing them to win an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes in mercy rule at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
The BYU-Utah softball series came to an anticlimactic end on Saturday afternoon, as the Cougars comfortably put away the Utes 14-5 in a run rule sixth inning finish.
After the first two games saw BYU make seventh-inning comebacks capped off by walk-off game-winners, the Cougars once again trailed early Saturday but rallied quickly and then built a big lead to complete the series sweep over their rival.
After a solid start saw the Utes go up 4-1, Utah coach Amy Hogue made the decision to pull starter Shelbee Jones for reliever Brooklyn Carreon in the third inning.
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To put it lightly, it was not Carreon’s inning.
The Cougars exploded for nine runs in the third, including two runs scored by junior Lily Owens. Her 3-run homer in the inning extended the Cougars’ lead to six at 10-4.
Owens had herself quite the series. On Thursday, she hit the walk-off RBI single in extra innings to cap off the Cougars’ comeback. In the three games, Owens had nine hits, seven runs and six RBI.
“This weekend has been electric,” Owens said. “Game three was just ‘Come out and have fun and keep scoring.’ Scoring is fun.”
1 of 18 BYU utility Lily Owens (13) swings a home run during an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 2 of 18 BYU infielder Maddie Udall-Woolley (34) celebrates after scoring a run during an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 3 of 18 Utah starting pitcher Brooklyn Carreon (5) pitches during an NCAA softball game against the BYU Cougars at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 4 of 18 BYU catcher Lindy Milkowski (30) makes it to first base during an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 5 of 18 BYU utility Aleia Agbayani (7) swings at the ball during an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 6 of 18 BYU infielder Maddie Udall-Woolley (34), center, catches the ball to get Utah outfielder Shelbi Ortiz (4), left, out at first base during an NCAA softball game at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 7 of 18 BYU players celebrate after BYU utility Lily Owens (13) makes a home run during an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 8 of 18 BYU infielder Maddie Udall-Woolley (34) scores a run during an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 9 of 18 Utah outfielder Kaylah Nelson (55) makes it to first base during an NCAA softball game against the BYU Cougars at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 10 of 18 Utah infielder Jolie Mayfield (18) catches the ball to get BYU infielder Keila Kamoku (6) out at second base during an NCAA softball game at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 11 of 18 BYU outfielder Jaelynn Lambert (11) catches a ball and prepares to throw it during an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 12 of 18 BYU outfielder Lauren Flanders (12) makes it from second to third base with Utah infielder Sianni Sakai (7) unsuccessful in tagging her out during an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 13 of 18 BYU starting pitcher Kaysen Korth (18) strikes out the Utes during an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 14 of 18 BYU infielder Keila Kamoku (6) makes it to second base while Utah infielder Jolie Mayfield (18) is unsuccessful in tagging her out during an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 15 of 18 BYU infielder Keila Kamoku (6) makes it from second to home base, scoring for the Cougars during an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. The Cougars won against the Utes in mercy rule. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 16 of 18 BYU infielder Keila Kamoku (6) makes it from second to home base, scoring for the Cougars during an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. The Cougars won against the Utes in mercy rule. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 17 of 18 BYU celebrates scoring two runs, allowing them to win an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes in mercy rule at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News 18 of 18 BYU celebrates scoring two runs, allowing them to win an NCAA softball game against the Utah Utes in mercy rule at Miller Park on BYU’s campus in Provo on Saturday, April 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
“Her level of play has been great all year long,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said when asked about Owens’ performance. “She has had a great year.”
BYU’s breakout freshman slugger Ilove’a Brittingham also made history on Saturday. Her 2-RBI single in the fifth inning put her at 62 RBI on the season, the most for any BYU freshman in school history.
“There’s nobody more deserving than Ilo,” Owens said about her record-breaking teammate. “She’s going to have a great career here.”
With Saturday’s win, the Cougars have improved to 29-12 overall and 11-7 in the Big 12. They are fifth in the Big 12 standings.
“A series sweep against Utah is awesome, plain and simple,” Eakin said. “They’re our rival and we want to beat them. To sweep them, especially in the fashion that we did and the numbers we put up, was really nice … it also gives us great momentum going forward in our last two series”
Owens also touched on what it meant to get revenge on the Utes after last season’s loss.
”We lost to Utah last year in a mid-week game, not being in the same conference, so being able to come back and handle them is just great,” the veteran center fielder said.
This series loss was emblematic of the season that Utah is having. The Utes are now 12-34 overall and 4-14 in Big 12 play. It is a young Utes team, with few upperclassmen on the roster and no seniors in the pitching rotation.
In 2023, the Utes reached the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 1994. There are only seven players left from that roster.
Utah will look to bounce back on its home diamond against Iowa State next week. The three-game series will go from Friday to Sunday.
Now riding a five-game win streak, BYU will travel to Waco, Texas, to play Baylor on Thursday.
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