MORAGA, Calif.—Pitchers Mark Anderson and Mason Marshall gave St. Mary’s College its first season loss in a 4-1 victory Friday to give BYU its first league win.
The Cougar win was the first-ever in the West Coast Conference as Anderson picked up his second win and Marshall his second save to improve BYU’s record to 3-2, while the Gaels are 5-1.
“I was reluctant to come out of the game,” said Anderson of his seventh-inning exit. “But I can always count on Mason (Marshall) to slam the door. It’s a graveyard out there in the outfield.”
That BYU outfield came up big in the third inning when Stephen Wells robbed Patrick Wisdom of a potential two-out, two-run smash with a catch in deep left-centerfield. SMC’s Kyle Barraclough, who struck out nine, was tossing a no-hitter into the sixth with a 1-0 lead.
In the sixth BYU chased Barraclough off the mound when it came up with back-to-back hits, the first by Jaycob Brugman to advance Wells to third.
“We were fortunate to get a leadoff walk and got a hit and run with Brugman,” said BYU coach Vance Law. “He (Brugman) executed perfectly and Wells made a nice turn at second to get to third, then Brock (Whitney) came through with the big double.”
Brock Whitney’s two-run double was the game-winning RBI, giving BYU a 2-1 lead. The Cougars added a pair of runs in the seventh to provide the three-run cushion when Anderson left the game with six strikeouts. Enter Marshall in relief, who struck out a Gael with the bases loaded to end the seventh.
“He (Marshall) is worth the price of admission just to watch when he is on the mound,” said Law. “Opponents think they are going to get to this guy (Marshall) because he is short (5-10).” Marshall pitched the final two-and-a-third innings, surrendering a pair of hits and striking out three.
The two teams, both 1-1 in the WCC, finish the three-game series on Saturday at 1 p.m., PST, in a game broadcast, live on AM Radio 960 locally.