SPOKANE, Wash. — BYU baseball rolled up 16 hits on its way to a 13-6 win over Gonzaga on Friday in game two of the three-game series at Steve Hertz Field.
Led by Cooper Vest’s five-for-five performance, BYU (6-4) scored 13 runs on 16 hits, including seven extra base hits, while Gonzaga (2-6) had six runs on 10 hits.
“Cooper had an incredible night,” said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. “He had three extra base hits and was hitting bullets into the gap all night. He really sparked our offense.”
BYU Highlights
• Cooper Vest: 5-5, 3 RBI, 3 Runs, 2 2B
• Luke Anderson: 4-5, RBI, Run
• Crew McChesney: 2-4, 2 RBI, 3 Runs
• Brock Watkins: 2-4, 2 RBI, Run
• Justis Reiser: 3.1 IP, 1 Hit, 0 Runs
Game Summary
BYU got on the board first with a run in the first inning on a leadoff walk by Crew McChesney, who then stole second and scored on a two out single to right-center by Cooper Vest for 1-0 lead.
Gonzaga tied the game at 1-1 with three hits and a run in the bottom of the second.
McChesney then led off the third inning with a double to left and Ryder Robinson walked. Vest then tripled down the right-field line for his second and third RBIs of the game, and a 3-1 Cougar advantage.
The Bulldogs answered in the bottom half of the frame with two runs on two walks and two hits to even the score at 3-3.
After a scoreless fourth, BYU tacked on three more runs in the fifth to lead 6-3. With one out, Robinson homered over the right-center wall to kickstart the offense. Easton Jones was then hit by a pitch and Vest singled to right center. Luke Anderson then doubled to score Jones and Vest later scored on a Bryker Hurdsman ground ball.
The Cougars increased the lead to 8-3 on a two-run home run by McChesney in the sixth inning that scored Brock Watkins who had singled to open the inning. BYU broke the game wide open with four runs in the seventh and one more in the eighth for a 13-3 advantage.
The Zags finished off the scoring with one run in the eighth and two more in the ninth for a 13-6 final.
“We did a great job of staying within the team concept on offense,” said Vest, who was 5-5 on the night and a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. “Our focus has been to keep it simple, stay hungry and play for each other. I thought we did that very well tonight.”
Justis Reiser (1-0), who came on in relief in the bottom of the third to get the last out, pitched 3.1 scoreless innings surrendering just one hit and no runs for the win.
“Justis was huge for us again tonight,” said Pratt. “He entered the game in a tight spot and shut them down, then threw three scoreless innings and allowed us to go on a run offensively. He brings emotion and a little edge to the team, which is what we need.”
With two home runs on Friday night, BYU now has 20 through 10 games, tied for third nationally with Wake Forest. Twenty team homers is the second highest total through 10 games in program history. The 1988 Cougar squad hit 30 in their first 10 games and went on to post a program-record 161 homers.
BYU and Gonzaga will play game three of the weekend series on Saturday at 1 p.m. PST. Watch the game live on ESPN+ or listen to the BYU Radio live broadcast with veteran play-by-play announcer Dave McCann and analyst Tucket Slade on the call.