PROVO, Utah – Daniel Schneemann’s two-run single during BYU baseball’s five-run eighth proved Friday’s game-winner in an 8-5 result against San Francisco at Larry H. Miller Field and put the Cougars back in first place of the West Coast Conference.

"It was a total team effort tonight," BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said. "Our lineup is relentless, and our mindset is that we can win every game. I love the mentality of this team."

The Cougars (24-14, 13-4 West Coast Conference) trailed 5-3 heading into the eighth inning before rallying for five runs to take game two of their three-game set against San Francisco (22-22, 7-13). It followed BYU’s 19-6 win against the Dons on Thursday.

A pair of hits gave the Dons a 1-0 lead in the first inning. A wild pitch in the second inning brought another run across for the visitors.

Colton Shaver, who leads BYU in batting average and home runs in league play, launched a two-run bomb over the centerfield fence in the bottom of the second to even the score at 2-2. It was Shaver’s seventh homer in WCC action and ninth overall.

The Cougars went up 3-2 in the third inning via RBI-leader Keaton Kringlen’s single that scored Schneemann from second base.

A pair of singles and a walk led to two runs for San Francisco in the fourth inning, as the Dons regained the lead, 4-3.

Kendall Motes was brought on to replace BYU starter Brady Corless in the fifth inning. Corless allowed four earned runs on nine hits in four innings.

Reliever Bo Burrup (2-2), who went on to earn the win, entered the game in the seventh inning. San Francisco scored once in the frame but a couple of standout defensive plays limited the damage. Schneemann, the shortstop, made a diving play up the middle and fired to first base for the first out. Catcher David Clawson shut down an attempted steal of third for the second out.

The Cougars’ eighth-inning spree featured four singles, two walks and a Don error. Schneemann’s single up the middle plated two and gave BYU a 7-5 lead. Tanner Chauncey then singled to provide an 8-5 cushion heading into the ninth.

Riley Gates struck out the final two batters of the game and notched his second save of the season by setting San Francisco down in order.

Saturday's series finale will be at 1 p.m. MDT.

As the topsy-turvy nature of the West Coast Conference baseball race continues, BYU hosts San Francisco in a three-game series starting Thursday.

The Cougars (22-14 overall and 11-4 WCC) could return to first place if they sweep USF and a loss were to happen to both league leaders Gonzaga and LMU. Winning the series against USF would give BYU its fifth tiebreaker over teams beneath its third-place standing.

With rain in the forecast, the  Cougars will meet the challenge from USF one game at a time.

“San Francisco is a well coached team and Coach Giarratano always has his guys ready to play," BYU coach Mike Littlewood said. "This will be a tough series and an important one for us as we look to stay in the top four in the conference."

The Cougars knocked league-leading San Diego out of first place by winning the series last week over the Toreros.

BYU is playing well as a team, with a couple of items of note. Brock Hale returned to the batting order last week after being out of the lineup all of April recuperating from an injury. Colton Shaver's batting average has climbed nearly 100 points from when league play began last month and he leads the team with a current seven-game hitting streak. Plus Tanner Chauncey is now No. 3 in the NCAA as the toughest batter to strike out.

Pitcher Brady Corless remains undefeated at 5-0 after fellow relievers and hitters rallied for a first-ever win at USD. Corless will start Friday’s game at 6 p.m. MDT and Maverik Buffo and Hayden Rogers are the Cougar starters for the opening and closing games of the USF series, respectively at 6 p.m. Thursday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Following the series with USF, BYU plays at Utah Valley on Tuesday in the UCCU Cross Town Clash, then travels to Santa Clara.

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