PROVO, Utah – No. 25 BYU baseball earned a dominant 20-3 win in game one against San Francisco on Thursday at Miller Field.
BYU vs. San Francisco Box Score
"I love the way our lineup shapes up, putting good at-bats together and moving guys along," BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said.
Game Summary
- BYU took an early 4-0 lead after Jackson Cluff, Ryan Sepede and Mitch McIntyre tallied RBIs
- Brock Hale recorded a grand slam for his ninth home run of the season, giving the Cougars an 11-1 lead in the fifth.
- In the eighth inning, BYU scored five runs on four walks, three hit by pitches and a fielder's choice. Another two runs were added off a single by Carson Matthews for seven total runs in the inning
Player Highlights
- Brock Hale: 2-4, HR (Grand Slam), 3 R, BB, HBP, 5 RBI
- Ryan Sepede: 2-5, 2 2B, 2 R, BB, 4 RBI
- Danny Gelalich: 3-3, 2B, 3 R, 3 HBP, 2 RBI
- Jordan Wood: W (5-2), 6.2 IP, 2 BB, 4 K
The Cougars started the onslaught in the first inning with Jackson Cluff lacing a double down the right field line with two on for the first run of the game. Ryan Sepede followed with a double of his own down the left field line for two RBIs. The fifth hit of the inning resulted in another BYU player crossing home plate as Mitch McIntyre singled to right field to extend the Cougars’ lead to 4-0.
In the third inning, Danny Gelalich hit an RBI-double down the left field line to improve BYU’s advantage to 5-1.
Following a scoreless fourth inning, the Cougars loaded the bases in the fifth after a Sepede double and a pair of walks. An RBI-single by Gelalich scored BYU’s sixth run and a sacrifice fly by Hsu added a seventh.
After a single by Noah Hill to load the bases, Brock Hale highlighted the inning with a grand slam, the second of his career, to give BYU an 11-1 lead.
San Francisco scored a pair of runs in the seventh after hitting a sacrifice fly and a single up the middle. BYU answered with two runs as Hsu recorded another RBI-single and Sepede added his third RBI of the game on a fielder's choice.
In a wild eighth inning, BYU scored five runs on four walks, three hit by pitches and a fielder's choice. Gelalich was hit by a pitch twice in the eighth inning alone as the Cougars totaled four hit by pitches in the inning overall, tying for fifth-most in an inning in NCAA history.
Another two runs were added off a single by Carson Matthews to round out the scoring.
In his final start at Miller Field, senior Jordan Wood earned the win to go to 5-2 on the season, throwing 6.2 innings with four strikeouts. Bo Borrup and Ryan Brady came on in relief to allow just two hits combined.
Hale finished the night 2-for-4 with the grand slam, three runs, five RBIs, a walk and a hit by pitch. Gelalich reached base all five times he came to the plate, including three hit by pitches, a double and a single to go with three runs and two RBIs. Sepede continued his hot streak since entering the lineup last week, going 2-for-5 with two doubles, four RBIs, two runs and a walk.
The Cougars and Dons return to Miller Field for game two in the series on Friday, May 10, at 6 p.m. MDT. Live coverage will be available on BYUtv while audio broadcasts can be heard on BYU Radio and ESPN 960.