PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball took game one of a three-game series with UNC Greensboro, 14-8, led by center fielder Cole Gambill who tied a career-high with six RBI on Thursday night at Miller Park.
With the win, BYU improves to 15-21 (7-8 WCC) on the year, while UNC Greensboro falls to 17-21 (5-7). The Cougars will face the Spartans in game two of the series on Friday at 6 p.m. MDT.
“We didn't start great but it is how you finish that counts,” said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. “our guys did a good job up and down the lineup tonight. They were really competitive and we did a good job of hitting with two strikes again tonight.”
Game Summary
• BYU recorded a season-high 18 hits
• The Cougars scored 14 runs on 18 hits, while the Spartans had eight runs on nine hits
• BYU was six for 12 (.500) with runners in scoring position
BYU Highlights
• Cole Gambill: 3-3, 2 HR, 6 RBI
• Parker Goff: 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI
• Austin Deming 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 2B
• Mason Olson: 7.0 IP, 7 K, 1 BB, 5 ER
UNC Greensboro jumped out early with four runs in the top of the first inning for a 4-0 lead. In the inning an RBI single and a three-run home run by Dosi Jonas helped propel the Spartans to an early advantage.
BYU cut into UNC's lead with a two-run RBI double by Deming and an RBI groundout by Cooper Vest in the top of the first inning to make the score 4-3. The Spartans picked up another run in the third after Kennedy Jones reached on an error and later scored on an error to extend the lead to 5-3.
A two-run Gambill home run to right-center in the bottom of the third evened the score at 5-5. Later in the inning an RBI single from Vest, an RBI double for Parker Goff and a two-run RBI single from Ozzie Pratt gave the Cougars a 9-5 advantage.
A 441-foot second home run from Gambill extended BYU's lead to 10-5 in the bottom of the fourth. The Cougars then tacked on another run following a bases-loaded walk to Gambill, pushing BYU's lead to 11-5 in the bottom of the fifth.
The Cougars extend their lead in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single from Goff, giving BYU a 12-5 advantage.
A base hit in the bottom of the seventh inning from Gambill scored two more runs, giving the senior his fifth and sixth RBIs on the night and the Cougars a 14-5 lead. UNC Greensboro got a run back in the top of the eighth cutting the deficit to 14-6.
In the top of the ninth, a two-run home run from Dallas Callahan gave the Spartans two more runs and a final score of 14-8.
Mason Olson (3-3) got the win for BYU, while Jay Miller (1-6) took the loss for UNC Greensboro. BYU reliever Sam Beck came on in the top of the ninth to get the final three outs for the win.