PROVO, Utah – BYU baseball defeated Saint Mary’s 5-3 Saturday afternoon at Larry H. Miller Field for the Cougars’ second-straight sweep in West Coast Conference play.

"Our guys came out ready to play again today," said BYU head coach Mike Littlewood, who collected his 200th win at BYU with the victory. "We did it in a couple of different ways–bunted a few times, took our walks, and when they opened the door a little bit we stepped through."

BYU vs. Saint Mary's Box Score

Game Summary

• BYU won its eighth-straight game and sixth-straight WCC contest
• The win was BYU head coach Mike Littlewood's 200th as Cougar head coach, improving his record to 200-148 in seven seasons
• BYU's 13 home wins are the most by the Cougars in Provo in a single month since March 2005 when BYU had 16. 

Player Highlights

• Justin Sterner: W (5-2), 6.0 IP, 0 ER, BB, 6 K
• Mitch McIntyre: 2-2, HR, R, RBI, BB, HBP, SB
• Austin Deming: 2-4, R, RBI

Saint Mary’s put up the first run of the game in the top of the first inning. With a runner in scoring position, a double drove in a run for the Gaels to make the score 1-0 early.

But BYU answered, starting with a homer from Mitch McIntyre in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 1-1. In the bottom of the third, the Cougars tacked on another run as Jaren Hall made it home on a sacrifice fly by Bryan Call to give BYU the 2-1 edge.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Cougars tacked on two more runs. Jackson Cluff doubled, then made it home on an Austin Deming single. With runners on first and second, Noah Hill singled up the middle to give BYU its second run of the inning and put BYU ahead, 4-1.

BYU added some insurance in the seventh with Hale on first and Hsu on third. Hale attempted to steal second and the Gaels’ catcher threw to the base as Hsu ran home and scored.

Saint Mary’s tacked on two runs in the top of the ninth, hitting a two-run homer to cut the lead to two, but could get no closer.

BYU next heads to Salt Lake City to take on in-state rival Utah at Smith’s Ballpark on Tuesday, April 2, at 6 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with radio coverage available on BYU Radio and ESPN 960. 

PROVO, Utah - On the heels of a five-game win streak, BYU baseball (18-5, 4-2 WCC) and Saint Mary’s (16-9, 3-0) battle in a West Coast Conference series at Miller Field March 28-30.

BYU vs. Saint Mary's Game Notes

BYU has taken advantage of a homestand that has four-straight weeks, going 14-2 since the home opener on March 5. Besides a win at Utah Valley, the Cougars have played every game at Miller Field, outscoring opponents 102-52 in that span.

The success on the field has put head coach Mike Littlewood three wins away from 200 in his BYU career and four wins from reaching 100 conference victories, currently sitting at 197-148 (.570) overall and 96-69 (.582) in the WCC.

BYU is currently third in the conference standings after winning one and losing two close games against Gonzaga before sweeping Portland last week. The Gaels are first in the conference at 3-0 after sweeping Pacific at home.

The Cougars' current five-game win streak began at UVU last week when lineup changes put sophomore Jackson Cluff from second base to shortstop and freshmen Bryan Call and Austin Deming were inserted at second base and third, respectively. Call has since totaled six hits, six runs and five RBIs with a double and a home run while Deming has added six hits, five runs, two doubles and two RBIs.

The Cougar pitching staff continues to impress, ranking 20th in the nation in team WHIP at 1.19 and ranked 24th in team ERA at 3.12. 

Game one starter Jordan Wood has a 1.63 ERA this year and has not allowed more than one run in his last five starts, all of which have gone six innings or more.

Game two starter Easton Walker leads the nation with a 0.00 ERA in 25.2 innings. In his first start of the year last week, the sophomore carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, allowing one hit and collecting five strikeouts in 6 innings.

Game three starter Justin Sterner is tied for the team lead with four wins and has a 10.13 strikeout per nine innings ratio, leading the team with 33 Ks in 29.1 innings.

Thursday's game will begin at 6 p.m. MT and will air on BYUtv's digital platforms. Friday's game will also start at 6 p.m. MT and will be shown on TheW.tv while Saturday's contest will begin at 1 p.m. MT and will be shown on BYUtv and BYUtv digital platforms. All games will also air on BYU Radio and ESPN 960.

Game 1
Thursday, March 28
6 p.m. MT
Miller Field
BYUtv Digital, BYU Radio, ESPN 960
"The Office" Night, $1 Pretzels, $1 Drinks and Flavor Bar

Game 2
Friday, March 29
6 p.m. MT
Miller Field
TheW.tv, BYU Radio, ESPN 960
MLB Opening Day, Fireworks, Free Popcorn

Game 3
Saturday, March 30
1 p.m. MT
Miller Field
BYUtv, BYU Radio, ESPN 960
Hawaiian Luau, Free Pass of All Passes Entry