SAN LUIS OBISPO – A wild 14-inning affair resulted in a 5-4 victory for BYU baseball over Cal Poly to split a Saturday doubleheader.

Game 1 Box Score & Game 2 Box Score

Game 2 Highlights

• Danny Gelalich hit a double down the left field line, allowing Peyton Cole to score the game-winning run in the top of the 14th
• The BYU pitching staff held the Mustangs scoreless over the final seven innings and 12 of 14 innings overall
• BYU forced extra innings with a two-out double by freshman Cutter Clawson in the top of the ninth, then got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning

Game 2 Player Highlights

• Danny Gelalich: 1-5, 2B, R, BB, RBI
• Brock Watkins: 1-6, HR, R, RBI
• Tyson Heaton: W (1-0), 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, K
• Jarod Lessar: 5.1 IP, 0 ER, BB, 5 K

Down 4-3 going into the ninth, Hayden Leatham led off with a single. Bryan Call sacrificed Leatham to second before the Cougars suffered a strikeout, putting them down to their final out. But freshman Cutter Clawson came in to pinch hit and pulled through, doubling to center field on the first pitch he saw to tie the game.

Finally in the 14th frame, freshman Peyton Cole took a walk on a 3-2 pitch in the second at bat of his BYU career, then advanced to second on a ground out. That’s when Danny Gelalich kept a hit inside the right field line, bringing Cole around for the score.

Freshman Tyson Heaton went the final 2.2 innings to earn the victory for the Cougars, including putting Cal Poly down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 14th to seal the win.

Saturday’s win was the first time BYU has gone 14 or more innings since a 10-9 loss in 14 innings in 2013 and the first win since a 5-4 17-inning victory against Utah in 2004.

BYU took leads of 1-0 and then 3-1 early, but Cal Poly scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull ahead.

But the Cougars kept fighting, scoring the tying run in the ninth and holding Cal Poly scoreless for seven-straight innings. Seven Cougar pitchers threw in the game with freshman Mikade Johnson, junior Mitch McIntyre (going to the mound in the 10th after playing center field up to that point), freshman Cooper McKeehan and freshman Tyson Heaton keeping the Mustangs without a run down the final stretch.

In all, 20 Cougars played in the game, including eight freshmen. The win gave BYU three victories in four games at Cal Poly and brought the Cougars’ record on the year to 5-3.

Game 1

In the first game of the day, BYU suffered a setback, losing 10-0.

Pintar, Deming, Joshua Cowden and Gelalich had one hit apiece to make up the entirety of the Cougar offense.

The Mustangs scored one run in the fourth, three in the sixth, one in the seventh and five in the eighth on 16 hits.

BYU starter Easton Walker took the loss, going 5.2 innings and allowing five hits, two earned runs and no walks with four strikeouts.

The Cougars will travel next week to play four games at New Mexico from Feb. 27-29 at Santa Ana Star Field.

PROVO, Utah – BYU baseball will travel to play four games at Cal Poly from Feb. 20-22 in San Luis Obispo.

The two teams are meeting for the first time since 2003. The series is tied at 1-1 overall, with Cal Poly winning 14-5 at home in 2002 and the Cougars winning 11-1 the following year at a neutral field in Scottsdale, Arizona.

BYU Game Notes

BYU (2-2) defeated Gonzaga and No. 25 Oregon State and lost two games to New Mexico in their opening contests of the season in Surprise, Arizona. Cal Poly (2-2) is coming off wins against UConn and then-No. 1 Vanderbilt with defeats at the hands of No. 13 Michigan and Pepperdine.

The Cougars currently boast a 2.31 ERA, including a 1.40 ERA by the bullpen. Nine different pitchers have already come on in relief, including six true freshmen, with seven pitchers yet to allow an earned run.

Starters for BYU will remain the same as last week, with RHP Justin Sterner (0-0, 1.42) starting game one, LHP Cy Nielson (0-1, 4.91) game two, RHP Easton Walker (0-0, 10.12) game three and RHP Jarod Lessar (0-0, 4.50) game four.

Senior catcher Abraham Valdez leads the Cougars at the plate, batting .400 with a double, two runs and two walks. Freshman Andrew Pintar is next at .333 with two doubles, two runs, an RBI and a walk. Junior Hayden Leatham leads the team with 11 total bases, including two home runs and a double for three RBI and two runs.

The Cougar defense is ranked 11th in the nation after pulling off five double plays through four games while sporting a .987 fielding percentage. 

Cal Poly with throw RHP Taylor Dollard (1-0, 0.00) in game one, LHP Andrew Alvarez (0-1, 0.00) in game two and RHP Drew Thorpe (0-0, 2.57) in game three with game four's starter to be announced later.

The Mustangs sport a 3.25 team ERA led by Dollard who went 7.0 innings with 10 strikeouts in his appearance last week. 

At the plate, Cal Poly is hitting .225 with six extra base hits and 18 walks. The Mustangs have had trouble on defense, committing 10 errors through four games for a .932 percentage.