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News releaseSAN DIEGO -- Coming out on the winning end of two pitcher's duels, the BYU softball team earned the Mountain West Conference title with a 2-1 extra-innings win and a 2-0 win against San Diego State Saturday afternoon.
"I couldn't be more proud about the way we battled," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "We played two hard-fought games in a tough environment against the defending champions and it is really sweet to win the Conference Championship on their field."
The Cougars bounced back from Friday's loss that snapped their 16-game winning streak to sweep Saturday's doubleheader and win the Conference title outright.
"We were disappointed to give one away yesterday and we responded well," Eakin said. "We had incredible pitching, we played great defense and we got timely hits when we needed them."
The first game of the twinbill was originally scheduled for April 16 in Provo, Utah, but weather conditions forced the game to be postponed. The Cougars out dueled San Diego State through nine innings of play, scoring the winning run on a throwing error for a 2-1 win.
Chrisite Zinanti earned her 50th career win, throwing 2.2 innings of relief. Her five strikeouts on the day set her career total to 422, breaking the all-time BYU record set by Christina Gwyn-Trice at 419.
Zinanti's performance was matched by starter Paige Affleck who led the team through 6.1 innings. She gave up one run, unearned, on four hits to keep the Cougars battling.
After a scoreless first inning, senior Stephanie Hopkins singled to right field to bring in Andrea Ramirez, who walked to reach base.
San Diego State had many scoring opportunities, leaving six batters on base in the third through fifth innings before the Aztecs broke through in the sixth.
With two outs Affleck bobbled a ball that rolled up the middle, allowing a run to score on the error. The baserunner was caught stealing by catcher Jessica Purcell to end the inning.
Zinanti came in to relieve Affleck when a San Diego State batter reached base on the Cougars' second error of the game in the seventh. Zinanti retired the side with a strikeout and a fly out.
Pinch hitter Caschjen Davis led off the bottom of the seventh with a ball ripped to left field. Freshman Tiffany Messerschmidt beat out a ground ball that rolled to the shortstop for an infield single, but Aztec pitcher Bailey Micetich gained control and BYU left both runners stranded.
Heading into the eighth inning, Zinanti retired the first batter before putting two runners on base for the Aztecs. The hurler maintained her composure and struck out back-to-back batters to retire the side.
Andrea Ramirez singled on a ball stroked up the right side, but she was called out on a double play when Coreen Lopez lined out to the right fielder who made the throw to first to catch Ramirez before she could tag up.
San Diego State managed to load the bases with only one out in the top of the ninth, but a smart defensive play by Ramirez at first got the force out at home, before a grounder to Kristin Delahoussaye at second base ended the top half of the frame.
Hopkins led off the bottom of the ninth with a hard-hit infield single at the shortstop. Monica Gonzales put Hopkins in scoring position with a routine grounder. Delahoussaye came up to bat with Hopkins on second and hit the ball right to the Aztec shortstop, who muffed the throw to bring in Hopkins for a BYU walk-off error.
In the second game of the doubleheader Zinanti toed the rubber, dueling against conference-leader Samantha Beasley. In 4.2 innings Zinanti limited the Aztecs to three hits and struck out two batters, leaving the game in the fifth inning after runners advanced to the corners.
Affleck earned the win during the contest advancing to 18-8, throwing 2.1 hitless innings. She exacted revenge on San Diego State after receiving the loss in Friday's contest.
With the solid pitching effort of the BYU tandem, the offense took advantage of San Diego State's miscues in the sixth inning to take the lead.
Gonzales earned her way on base with a hit to right field and advanced to second on a wild pitch that bounced in the dirt before reaching the plate. Delahoussaye put a sacrifice bunt down to advance Gonzales to third base, but a ground out left the baserunner on with two outs.
Quiocho, who bunted down the first base line, reached first on what was scored as a fielding error. Gonzales scored the first run of the game on the bunt.
Quiocho advanced on Purcell's infield single, and Ramirez launched a ball into centerfield that brought in one run to take a 2-0 lead.
Affleck retired the side in consecutive order in both the sixth and the seventh innings to take the series rubber match and to earn the MWC title.
The Championship marks the third time the Cougars have won the title. The last time coming in 2007, fending off San Diego State, and the previous championship came in 2001.
The MWC Champs conclude the regular season with a three-game homestand beginning Thursday at 7 p.m. against New Mexico.
