SANTA CLARA, Calif. – One swing in the first inning was enough for Santa Clara to defeat No. 24 BYU baseball 4-2 on Thursday.
“We set a bad tone on the mound and the meat of our lineup stranded too many guys early in the game,” BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said. “Now we understand we can’t just show up and win without total focus.”
Game Summary
- Santa Clara scored all its runs on a grand slam in the first inning
- The Cougars stranded runners every inning until bringing two across in the sixth
- BYU had previously won 10 straight against the Broncos
Player Highlights
- Brian Hsu: 2-4, 2B
- Casey Jacobsen: 1-3, HR, R, BB, RBI
- Danny Gelalich: 1-4, 2B, R
A single, hit batter and walk set up a grand slam for Santa Clara to give the Broncos the 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The Cougars loaded the bases with one out in the third, but a strike out and fly out ended the threat.
BYU turned double plays in the second and seventh innings and starter Jordan Wood settled in, but the Cougar offense couldn’t string together enough plays to score. Casey Jacobsen finally broke the drought with a solo home run to lead off the seventh inning. It’s the second home run in as many games for the senior third baseman.
A double by Danny Gelalich and two consecutive errors by the Broncos led to Gelalich scoring to narrow the lead to 4-2.
However, following the Cougars’ second run, the next seven BYU batters proceeded to strike out from the sixth through the eighth inning to keep down any thoughts of completing the comeback.
BYU and Santa Clara will play game two of three on Friday, May 17, at 6 p.m. PT. The game will air on TheW.tv, BYU Radio and ESPN 960 AM.