BEAUMONT, Texas – BYU baseball held Lamar to eight-straight scoreless innings, but a three-run first was all the Cardinals needed to defeat the Cougars 3-1 on Friday.

“We played a solid game tonight, but just couldn’t put anything together offensively,” BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said. “We had (Lamar pitcher Jason) Blanchard on the ropes early, but he settled in and did a nice job keeping us off balance all night.”

BYU vs. Lamar Box Score

Game Summary

• A single and two home runs in the first inning accounted for the three Lamar runs
• BYU allowed only one Cardinal runner to reach as far as third base the remainder of the game
• The Cougars scored their lone run after Noah Hill doubled and Carson Matthews hit an RBI single in the second inning

Player Highlights

• Carson Matthews: 2-4, RBI, SB
• Noah Hill: 1-4, 2B, R
• Riley Gates: 2.0 IP, 0 ER, H, BB

Junior Jarod Lessar (1-1) gave up a single and a pair of home runs in the bottom of the first inning as Lamar (5-5) went up 3-0 early. But the right-hander soon found a groove, striking out three and allowing just one more hit over the next three innings for BYU (6-3).

With two outs in the second inning, senior Noah Hill hit a double down the left field line, then advanced to third on a passed ball. Freshman Carson Matthews then knocked him home on an infield single.

Sophomore Mitch McIntyre saw his first time on the mound in the fifth, pitching 0.2 innings with one hit and no runs. Sophomore Easton Walker and senior Riley Gates finished the final 3.1 innings for BYU, allowing only two hits combined. In all, the BYU bullpen extended its streak without an earned run to 20 innings.

BYU and Lamar will finish the series with a third game on Saturday, March 2, at 11 a.m. MT. The game can again be seen on the Lamar Athletics Facebook page or heard on BYU Radio and ESPN 960.

PROVO, Utah - The BYU baseball team goes on the road for the third-straight week to play a three-game series against the Lamar Cardinals starting Thursday, February 28.

All three games will have a live video feed via the Lamar Athletics Facebook page and can be heard live on BYU Radio and ESPN 960 via radio, web browser or app.

BYU vs. Lamar Game Notes

The Cougars (5-2) are 1-1 all-time against Lamar (4-4) but haven’t played the Cardinals since two matchups in the 1979 NCAA Tournament. The Cougars lost to Lamar, 3-2, before defeating the Cardinals, 7-4, later in the regional.

BYU is most recently coming off three wins at the Kleberg Bank College Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas, against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Ohio State and Oral Roberts.

Catcher Noah Hill leads the team at the plate, hitting .435 with 10 hits. Preseason All-WCC outfielder Brock Hale is hitting .333 with nine hits, eight runs, four RBIs and four walks while second baseman Jackson Cluff is also hitting .333 with nine hits, 10 RBIs, six runs and three walks.

On the mound, BYU will start senior right-hander Jordan Wood (1-0, 3.92 ERA) on Thursday. Junior right-hander Jarod Lessar (1-0, 3.18) will go Friday and sophomore right-hander Justin Sterner (1-1, 2.60) is slated to start on Saturday.

The BYU bullpen has been stellar this season, allowing zero runs in six of the Cougars’ seven contests. Outside of the game against Cal, BYU’s bullpen has recorded no runs and 24 strikeouts with just 10 hits and six walks for a 3-1 record and a save in 25.1 innings pitched. Sophomore Easton Walker has allowed no runs and just one hit in 9.0 innings in relief.