Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif. â€" After 12 innings and three and a half hours, the USD softball team (21-28, 7-6) fell to BYU 1-0 in heartbreaking fashion Friday evening. Junior Megan Sabbatini had a career night, pitching a school record 12 innings and striking out a career-high 13 batters.

In a game with championship implications, the WCC's top two leaders in strikeouts squared off: BYU's McKenna Bull and USD's Megan Sabbatini. Neither team could muster any offense against the pair of aces, which sent the game into extra innings with no score.

The Toreros only early threat came in the second inning when they put runners on first and second with one out. However, Bull retired the next two Toreros to escape the jam.

Lauren Bell led off the sixth inning with a single to right field. After she was sacrificed to second, the Toreros elected to intentionally walk Libby Suggs, who leads the WCC with 17 home runs. Sabbatini got the next batter, Alexa Strid, to fly out to left on the first pitch and then struck out Emilee Erickson to get the final out.

Lauren Berriatua led off the eighth inning with a single up the middle. Two batters later, Olivia Sandusky also singled and then Taylor Spence worked a walk to load the bases with just one out. The Toreros couldn't score the winning run though; Kailey Hill struck out and then Lauren Kane fouled out sending the game deeper into extra innings.

The Cougars put a runner on second with one out in the top of the ninth inning, but Sabbatini stranded another runner to preserve the shutout.

BYU drew a walk to lead off the 12th inning. After a sac bunt and a flyout to right, the Cougars had the go-ahead run on third base. BYU's Gordy Bravo then slapped an infield single to score the first run of the game. It was Bravo's third hit of the game.

Lauren Berriatua collected another single to center to begin the 12th inning. Sierra Berryessa then laid down a bunt to third and the BYU third baseman committed a throwing error. After an Olivia Sandusky ground out, the Toreros had the tying run on third and the winning run on second with just one out. Just as in the previous innings, BYU worked their way out of the jam to win the game and clinch the WCC championship. The Toreros stranded 12 runners in the game.

Sabbatini threw her ninth complete game of the season and lowered her ERA to 2.92. With her career-high 13 strikeouts, she now has 167 on the season, the fifth most in school history.

The Toreros wrap up the regular season Saturday with a doubleheader against BYU beginning at noon. There will be a ceremony to honor the five Torero seniors at 11:40 a.m.