LOS ANGELES — LMU pitching ace Diego Barrera held BYU scoreless through seven innings, leading the Lions to a 12-2 win on Thursday night at George Page Stadium.
The win evened LMU’s record at 8-8 on the season, while the Cougars dropped to 5-11.
“We knew we were in for a tough night against Barrera, and he was really good,” said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. “I thought we had a good approach at the plate and put together some good at bats, but defensive errors really hurt us in some key spots.”
Game Summary
• LMU scored 12 runs on 17 hits, while BYU scored twice on five hits
• BYU left fielder Cooper Vest went 3-4 with a solo home run and a double
• The Cougars fall to 0-7 on the season when being outhit by the opponent
BYU Highlights
• Cooper Vest: 3-4, HR, 2B, RBI
• Safea Mauai: 1-4, 2B, RBI
• Peyton Cole: 1.2 IP, 0 Hits
LMU scored first with two outs in the bottom of the first inning on a double down the left-field line by third baseman Diego Baqueiro for a 1-0 lead. The Lions picked up two more runs on three hits in the fourth inning to push the advantage to 3-0.
Three runs in the third inning, combined with two more in the sixth, pushed the lead to 8-0 and broke the game open for the Lions.
BYU left fielder Vest homered in the top of the eighth to get BYU on the scoreboard, 8-1. In three at bats, Vest went three-for-four on the night, with a home run, double and single.
LMU finished off the scoring with four runs in the eighth, while BYU pushed across a second run in the top of the ninth on a double by Safea Mauai that scored Cole Gambill for a 12-2 final score.
Barrera (2-1) got the win for the Lions, while BYU starter Jack Sterner (1-2) took the loss for the Cougars.
The 17 hits by LMU tied Omaha (March 4) for the most by a BYU opponent on the season.
Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast live on the BYU Radio App and BYU Radio 107.9 FM in the northern Utah market, with Greg Wrubell on the call. The game will also air on the WCC Network.