The Utah Valley University softball team heads to Provo to face neighboring rival BYU on Tuesday at 5 p.m., at Gail Miller Field. The midweek contest will be televised live on BYUtv and will be UVU's lone ballgame of the week.
The Wolverines (4-21) enter the contest on a 15-game losing streak after falling to fellow in-state foe Utah State in UVU's 2016 home opener by a score of 5-2 on March 15. The Aggies took advantage of two Utah Valley miscues in the game, scoring four unearned runs en route to the victory.
Junior Brianna Gatlin led UVU in last week's setback to USU by going 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs batted in to up her current reached base streak to 11 consecutive games. Gatlin drove in both of Utah Valley's runs in the game, with an RBI single in the second and another RBI hit in the fourth.
Despite taking the loss, junior right-hander Bailey Moore went the distance in the circle for the Wolverines. Moore gave up just one earned run (five total) on four hits while striking out two in seven innings of work.
Gatlin leads the Wolverines on the season with a .344 average, eight doubles, 18 RBIs and 20 walks. She is also tops on the team in slugging (.563) and on-base percentage (.512). Senior Morgan Smith is next with a .324 average, while sophomore Kellee Ramsey fronts the Wolverine pitching staff with a 4.81 ERA and a 1-5 record.
About the opposition
Brigham Young University enters Tuesday's game with an 18-12 record after going 3-2 at the San Diego Classic II in San Diego, California, during the weekend. The Cougars picked up wins over No. 24 Fresno State, Harvard and UC Santa Barbara, while also falling to Long Beach State and the host San Diego State Aztecs. BYU was picked to win the WCC again this year after going 13-2 in conference last year, 40-14 overall and making the NCAA Tournament.
Lauren Bell leads the Cougar offense with a .410 batting average, while Libby Sugg tops the team in the power numbers with 13 home runs and 36 RBIs. McKenna Bull paces the BYU pitching staff with a 3.42 ERA, 13-8 record and two saves. Bull pitched her second no-hitter of the season against UCSB last weekend en route to being named the WCC Pitcher of the Week.
Tuesday's meeting will mark the 37th all-time ballgame between the Wolverines and Cougars. BYU holds a 32-4 advantage, but UVU managed pick up a 13-0 run-rule win in Provo a year ago thanks to a five-inning no-hit shutout from Moore.
On deck for UVU
With Tuesday's contest marking the only game of the week for UVU, the Wolverines are off until April 1-2, when they head to Bakersfield, California, to open Western Athletic Conference play at CSU Bakersfield.
James Warnick is an assistant sports information director at Utah Valley University. For more information about Wolverine athletics, visit WolverineGreen.com.