The temperature was cold, but the bats were hot deep into the night at Gail Miller Field on Thursday.
In the first conference matchup between rivals BYU and Utah since 2011, it was the Cougars that came out victorious 14-13 in an all-time comeback.
Going into the final out of the final inning, the Utes held a comfortable 13-9 lead. That’s when the Cougars’ freshman sensation, Ilove’a Brittingham, stepped up big.
With two runners on base, Brittingham connected on the first pitch she saw, hitting a no-doubter past the center field wall to bring the Cougars within one.
This was emblematic of the type of season Brittingham has had up to this point. The freshman from Nipomo, California leads the Big 12 and ranks top 10 in the country with 18 homers. Her scorching hot bat is one of the best in the country.
”She’s incredible,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said about the Cougars’ star player. “She’s up for Freshman of the Year and I think it’s well deserved. She’s a force on the field for sure.”
When asked what her thoughts were before the most important at bat of her career, Brittingham had one simple phrase: “See ball. Hit ball.”
Still needing one run to send the game into extra innings, Cougar catcher Lindy Milkowski hit a homer for herself, tying the game at 13-13. All of the momentum that the Utes once had vanished from their rival’s home diamond.
The momentum that the Cougars snatched in the seventh didn’t go away in extra innings. The Utes failed to put any runners in scoring position and the Cougars did just the opposite. With the bases loaded, it was veteran Lily Owens who drove in the scoring run from Bre Townsend, getting the walk-off victory in the historic rivalry game.
“Lily is a great hitter,” Brittingham said about her teammate. “I had no doubt in her at all ... she was the perfect person to be up to bat.”
Owens finished the game with three hits and two RBI, none bigger than the game-winner in extra innings.
Of course, no game between BYU and Utah in any sport is without its fair share of chirping between red and blue.
“There was a lot of chirpiness between the two teams,” Eakin said. “Sometimes the rivalry gets out of hand and this game was no different.”
“I already knew based off of the football game that it was a big-time rivalry,” said Brittingham, who was playing in her first career game against Utah. “There was a lot of chirpiness, but that’s how softball games go. There’s no hard feelings after the game.”
While the Utes obviously aren’t happy with the result of the game, there was one unexpected bright spot that nearly gave Utah the victory.
Before Thursday’s game, Utah junior Hailee White had yet to connect on an extra-base hit this season. Against the Cougars, she hit two home runs and added in an RBI double for good measure. It was the best performance by a player on either team, and a good choice of opponent to have a career night against.
BYU and Utah will face off again on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Gail Miller Field. If it was anything like the first game, fans will be in for a treat.