DAVIS, Calif. — BYU baseball scored 20 runs on 18 hits, including nine extra base hits, in a 15-4 win over UC Davis on Thursday at Dobbins Stadium.
Photos courtesy UC Davis Athletics
With the victory, the Cougars improved to 2-3 on the year and increased their all-time series record with the Aggies to 4-1. The loss drops UC Davis to 2-2 on the season.
"We did a better job of swinging at strikes today," said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. "We got behind early, but it was good for us to fall behind and battle back, get some big hits and win a game from behind."
Player Highlights
• Ben Hansen: 6 IP, 5 K, 1 ER
• Easton Jones: 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 Runs, HR
• Crew Robinson: 2-6, 3 RBI, 2 Runs, HR, 3B
• Collin Reuter: 2-5, 3 RBI, Run
BYU got on board first with two runs on two walks, followed by back-to-back singles by Collin Reuter and Cooper Vest for a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
UC Davis tied the game with two runs in the top half of the first, then took a 4-2 lead with a run in both the second and third innings.
The Cougars broke the game wide open in the fourth inning with 13 runs on nine hits, including a two-run home run by Easton Jones and a three-run blast by Crew Robinson. BYU sent 17 hitters to the plate, including Robinson who tripled and homered. Jones also had two hits to help the Cougars to a 15-4 advantage in a half inning that lasted 40 minutes.
“It was a good win for us,” said Robinson. “The past few games we've been hitting balls hard but right at guys, so it felt good to see balls fall in gaps today.”
After three scoreless innings, BYU tacked on two more runs in the top of the eighth. Ryker Schow singled to left with bases loaded to score Bryker Hurdsman, then Chipper Beck drove in Keoni Painter with a sacrifice flyball to left field, for a 17-4 lead.
The Cougars scored three more in the ninth on a double to right field by Painter that scored a run and two runs batted in by Schow for a final score of 20-4.
Starting right hander Ben Hansen (2-0) went six innings for the win, striking out six while giving up just one earned run. The Cougars’ bullpen of Hayden Coon, Maddax Peck and Justis Reiser combined for three scoreless innings to close out the game. The four BYU hurlers surrendered just five hits over nine innings.
Game two of the three-game series at UC Davis is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. MST and will be broadcast live on BYU Radio 107.9 and the BYU Radio App, with Dave McCann on the call. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN+.