PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Rutgers went 1-1 on its first day in the Arizona State/Grand Canyon Classic on Friday. Playing at the GCU Softball Complex, Rutgers dropped an early lead to BYU falling to the Cougars 11-2, but rebounded in the nightcap with a 4-1 victory over the host Lopes.

The Scarlet Knights improved to 14-8 overall.

BYU 11, Rutgers 2 - 5 innings

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• The Scarlet Knights jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but BYU managed to score at least once every inning to bounce back for the victory.
• Sophomore Kyleigh Sand and graduate student Gabrielle Callaway scored both runs for the Scarlet Knights.
• Callaway and junior Taylor Fawcett were both 1-for-2 with Fawcett driving in a run.
• Starter Ashley Hitchcock pitched 2.1 innings in the loss dropping to 5-6 on the season.

THE RUNDOWN

• Leadoff Kyleigh Sand capitalized on a pair of early BYU errors for RU's first run of the game. The sophomore reached on a bobbled ball by short and came home as the Cougars tried to catch Gabrielle Callaway taking second and overthrowing the base. Phoenix, Arizona native Taylor Fawcett added to the lead with an RBI double to right bringing Callaway home.
• BYU knotted the score at 2-2 in the bottom half with a bases-loaded single up the middle from Macy Simmons.
• The Cougars took the lead the next inning with a pair of hits including a Violet Zavodnik RBI single.
• BYU dropped in three more runs on the next trip to the plate. Simmons went over the fence in left to lead off the fourth for her third RBI of the game, Marissa Chavez captured a sacrifice fly and Martha Epenesa registered an RBI single thru the left side for a 6-2 advantage.
• RBI singles to left from Alyssa Pohurack and Brooke Barrington pushed the Cougar lead to 8-2 at the end of four.
• BYU closed out the game in the fifth off a three-run home run by Zovodnik to left-center for the final score.

Rutgers 4, Grand Canyon 1 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Jaden Vickers threw her fourth complete game of the season allowing only one run while striking out seven. She improved to 9-2 on the season.
• Freshman Maddie Lawson swung for the left-field fence for a three-run home run. The home run marked Lawson's second of the 2022 season and the Scarlet Knights' sixth of the year.
• Sophomore Kyleigh Sand hit 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
• Classmates Kayla Bock and Megan Herka also registered runs in the victory.

THE RUNDOWN

• The second inning saw Kayla Bock open with a single to short and come home with two outs off Kyleigh Sand's base hit to left.
• Maddie Lawson slugged a three-run home run to left extending RU's lead to 4-0 in the top of the fourth.
• The Lopes broke up the no-hitter in the fifth and thwarted the shutout in the sixth. Fourteen-straight GCU batters were retired before Kristen Fifield collected the Lopes 'first hit with two outs in the fifth. GCU posted another three hits in the sixth with Stephanie Reed using a double to right-center to score her squad's only run of the game.

UP NEXT

The Rutgers softball team heads to Tempe and Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium to face New Mexico State at 2 p.m  (ET) and host No. 22/23 Arizona State at 4:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday.

Follow Rutgers softball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.