Utah Valley University sophomore Bailey Moore no-hit BYU en route to a 13-0 five-inning shutout over the Cougars on Saturday afternoon at Gail Miller Field. The win marked the Wolverines first-ever over BYU in Provo and just the second no-hitter in school history.
Moore struck out two and walked five but was able to get out of multiple jams with the help of her defense. The UVU (12-20) defense turned a double play in the second and another in the fourth to end a pair of BYU (20-8) rallies.
The no-hitter by Moore (8-11) was the first time a Wolverine held their opponent hitless since Josi Summers recorded the program's first against Albany on March 14, 2014.
"It feels great but I couldn't have done it without my defense," Moore said. "They did a great job behind me today."
Hailey Kolfer hit a grand slam in the first inning to help the Wolverines jump out to a 5-0 lead. They added two more runs in the second on a two-run double by Brianna Gatlin. Gatlin recorded two more hits in the game and another run batted in as UVU tacked on two runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth to put the game away in five innings.
"It feels awesome. This was a 100 percent total team effort. The girls really took care of business and showed a lot of discipline and heart," head coach Nikki Palmer said. "There is something special about this team. They are very close and truly care about each other."
The victory snapped a five-game losing streak for the Wolverines and was the first over BYU since the 2013 season. It also marked Utah Valley's first in Provo in 16 tries. UVU and its neighboring foe meet up two more times on the season: on April 7, at Wolverine Field in Orem, and on May 5, in the regular-season finale in Provo.
Gatlin led UVU in the contest by going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs, two runs scored and a walk.
"We just kind of turned it around," Palmer said. "When we're going to do things we have to do them as a total team and I think the girls really bought into that."
BYU's ace McKenna Bull took the loss after giving up seven earned runs in just two innings of work to drop to 18-5 on the season. The loss marked the Cougars second in their last 15 ballgames.
The Wolverines now head to Eugene, Oregon, for their final tune-up prior to beginning Western Athletic Conference play next weekend. UVU faces No. 2 Oregon in a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 25, before heading to Las Cruces, New Mexico, for a three-game series at the preseason favorite New Mexico State Aggies on March 27-28.
James Warnick is an assistant sports information director at Utah Valley University. For more information about Wolverine athletics, visit WolverineGreen.com.