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LOGAN, Utah -

BYU 5, Utah State 4

Utah State softball opened its week at home Tuesday, falling to in-state rival, BYU, 5-4.

Utah State worked its way through the pitching rotation Tuesday, as each player saw at least two innings in the circle. Freshman Delaney Hull made the start, with senior Jordyn McCracken coming in in relief and sophomore Kellie White throwing the final three innings. Together, the three tallied five strikeouts and walked one batter. Senior outfielder Jazmin Clarke led the offense with a pair of hits, while five other batters had one hit apiece.

With the loss, Utah State falls to 13-19 overall, while BYU improves to 18-18.

BYU took an early lead after hitting a solo home run on its second at-bat of the game. Hull sandwiched the inning with a pair of strikeouts, but also allowed a double in the top of the first. The Utah State offense was quick to answer though, taking the lead in the bottom of the inning. The team quickly loaded the bases on two singles and a BYU error. Senior catcher Brina Buttacavoli added to her team-best RBI total on the year, doubling to right field and bringing all three runners home.

After both teams went without a hit in the second inning, the score moved back to BYU's favor in the third. The Cougars hit five-straight singles to open the inning, plating two runs before any outs were made. A sac fly then brought another run in to give BYU the lead, while a groundout followed to bring in a fourth.

The Aggie offense found a surge again in the bottom of the fourth, after the previous six batters had been retired in order. Junior first baseman Bailee Trapp led-off with a home run directly over the center field fence, scoring what would be the final run of the game. Through the remainder of the fourth and fifth innings, Utah State got four more runners on base, but none of them were able to get home.

BYU put up two more hits before the end of the game, giving the Aggies the chance for the late comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Pinch hitting, sophomore Devan Sperry led-off with a single. After two outs were made, the Cougars intentionally walked Buttacavoli, bringing up a pinch hitter in sophomore Allanah Alvarado. With some hard swings, Alvarado struck out, ending the game.

On the day, BYU out-hit Utah State, 12-7. The Aggies had two errors in the game, while the Cougars had one.

Utah State returns to Mountain West play this weekend in a three-game series at Fresno State. The Aggies and Bulldogs will play on Friday, April 6, at 7 p.m. (MT), Saturday, April 7, at 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 8, at 1 p.m.

Fans can follow the Aggie softball program on Twitter, @USUSoftball, on Facebook at /USUSoftball or on Instagram, @ususoftball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.