SAN DIEGO — BYU baseball defeated UC San Diego, 9-7, in the Cougars’ final game of the Tony Gwynn Legacy tournament on Saturday evening at Triton Ballpark in La Jolla, California.
BYU (3-3) scored nine runs on nine hits, stranding six runners in the win, while UCSD (2-3) plated seven runs on four hits while leaving five on base.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Ezra McNaughton: 2-5, 2 RBI, 2 Runs
• Crew McChesney: 1-5, 2 RBI, Run
• Ridge Erickson: 1-4, 2 RBI
• Ryder Robinson: 1-3, HR, RBI, 2 Runs
• Nate Gray: 4.0 innings, 1 Hit, no Runs, 4 Ks
• Luke Sterner: 2/3rds Inning, Save
SUMMARY
BYU jumped out early in the top of the first inning with three runs on three singles and a walk for a 3-0 lead. Luke Anderson and McNaughton led off with back-to-back singles. Anderson advanced to third on a flyball and McNaughton stole second with two outs. Robinson walked to load the bases and Matt Hansen picked up an RBI on a hit by pitch. Cougar catcher Erickson then singled to right field driving in two more runs.
After three scoreless innings, UCSD got two runs back in the bottom of the fifth on a walk and two hits to cut the Cougar advantage to 3-2.
Following a scoreless sixth inning, BYU struck for five more runs in the seventh. Singles by Easton Jones and Keoni Painter, followed by a walk to Anderson loaded the bases for McNaughton, who singled down the left-field line to score Jones and Painter. One out later, McChesney tripled down the right-field line to pick up two RBI. He then scored on a wild pitch for an 8-2 lead.
After neither team scored in the eighth, BYU picked up an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a solo home run down the right-field line by Robinson. The Tritons made a furious comeback in the bottom of the ninth with five runs on two hits, a walk, two hit batters and a wild pitch for a final score of 9-7.
BYU lefty starter Wayland Crane went four innings, surrendering just one hit and two runs while striking out four. Right-handed reliever Nate Gray threw four innings of shutout ball with four strike outs for the win, while Luke Sterner came on in the ninth to record the final two outs for the save.
UP NEXT
After a day off Sunday, BYU will face UC Riverside on Monday afternoon at Riverside Sports Complex. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT (2 p.m. MT) and will be broadcast on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast live on BYUradio.org, the BYUradio app and in Utah County on 107.9 FM. Matt Baiamonte will have the radio play-by-play call live from Riverside.