Aggie softball falls to BYU

BYU’s first at bat resulted in the game’s first run — it was a sign of things to come Tuesday for Utah State softball.

The Aggies fell 13-2 in a five-inning blowout against the visiting Cougars on Tuesday, the only matchup between the in-state rivals this season.

“It’s a rivalry game,” said USU head coach Steve Johnson. “No matter who is on the mound, we have to show some fight and step up. That’s what we’ve talked about all year is that consistency, regardless of who the opponent is.”

The Cougars jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Aggie freshman catcher Brina Buttacavoli managed to score in the bottom of the third off of a Sarah Chow RBI.

“We came out kind of weak in the beginning,” said Chow, who hit 2-of-3 in the game and brought in the Aggies’ only scores. “The stronger we are at the beginning, the stronger we’ll be at the finish.”

Following a three-run BYU home run in the fourth, coach Johnson substituted several defensive players into the game.

“We had ground ball after ground ball that we weren’t getting to,” Johnson said. “That starting group didn’t have any energy. We have a great group of kids sitting on the bench. They sit and cheer for these guys every day, so I thought they deserved a chance. A couple of them came up and made some plays and put some runs across.”

Utah State has a chance to get back into the win column Saturday as it kicks off a three-game homestand against conference foe UNLV. Chow cited the team’s mindset as the biggest factor in getting back on track.

“We definitely need a better mentality,” Chow said. “Come ready to fight.”

— logantjones@aggiemail.usu.edu

Twitter: @logantj