PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball took game one of a three-game series with San Francisco, 6-2, on a pitching gem by junior southpaw Mason Olson at Miller Park on Thursday night. Olson threw 120 pitches over 8.0 innings, striking out six Dons for the victory. 

With the win, BYU improves to 10-18 (4-6 WCC) while USF falls to 12-12 (3-7) on the year. The Cougars will face the Dons in game two of the West Coast Conference series on Friday at 6 p.m. MDT. 

“It's always good to win the first game of the series,” said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. “Cooper Vest’s two-out hit in the first inning was huge. It gave us a 1-0 lead and helped the guys relax early. It also extended the inning and got Jacob Wilk to the plate for the big hit.”

Game Summary 
  •  BYU scored six runs on 11 hits, while USF scored twice on nine hits
  •  Lefty pitchers Mason Olson and Boston Mabeus surrendered no walks over a combined nine innings
  •  Jacob Wilk’s three-run homer in the first was all the offense BYU needed for the win

BYU Highlights
  •  Jacob Wilk: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, Run
  •  Ryan Sepede: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 Runs
  •  Cooper Vest 2-4, RBI, Run
  •  Mason Olson: 8.0 IP, 6 K, 0 BB, 2 R

BYU jumped out early with four runs in the bottom of the first inning for a 4-0 lead. Luke Anderson singled to center field and Ryan Sepede walked to set up an RBI opportunity for Cooper Vest who singled through the left side with two outs for the first run. Jacob Wilk then homered over the right field fence for three more runs. 

“Mason is a bigtime competitor,” said Wilk of BYU’s starting pitcher. “It doesn’t matter if he has his best stuff or not, he’s always going to give you a chance to win. It’s easy being a hitter when he’s on the hill.” 

USF cut into the Cougar lead with a solo home run by Patrick Keighran in the top of the third inning to make the score 4-1. The Dons picked up another run in the sixth with a triple and a single to cut the lead to 4-2. 

A two-run Sepede home run to left center in the bottom of the seventh pushed the Cougar lead to 6-2. The blast scored Cole Gambill who led off the inning with a double to straight-away center field. 

Olson (2-2) got the win for BYU, pitching a season-high 8.0 innings, while Ryan Yerby (0-2) took the loss for USF. BYU reliever Boston Mabeus came on in the top of the ninth to get the final three outs for the win. Olson and Mabeus combined to hold the Zags scoreless over the final three innings of the game. 
 

PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball begins a four-game home stand on Thursday with a three-game series versus West Coast Conference foe San Francisco, April 6-8, at Miller Park. The Cougars will then welcome Utah Tech to Provo for a midweek game on Tuesday, April 11. 

First pitch for the Thursday and Friday games is scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT, with the Saturday game slated to begin at 1 p.m. MDT. The Tuesday game against UT is also scheduled for 6 p.m.

BROADCAST PLANS. All four games will be broadcast live on the BYUtv App and online at BYUtv.org with Dave McCann and Gary Sheide providing play-by-play and analysis. The games will also air live on the BYU Radio App and 107.9 in northern Utah with the Voice of the Cougars Greg Wrubell on the call. 

Ticket information for all four games can be found at BYUtickets.com.

COUGARS-DONS HISTORY. Thursday marks the 40th meeting between BYU and San Francisco. The Cougars are 21-18 all-time versus the Dons and 18-12 since joining the WCC in the 2011-12 season. Last year, USF won the three-game series, 2-1, in San Francisco. The Cougars hold an 11-4 home advantage over the Dons dating back to the first game played in Provo between the two schools on May 9, 2013. 

SAN FRANCISCO RECAP. The Dons are 12-11 on the year and 3-6 in WCC play. USF is also 3-6 on the road with games at Fresno State (0-1), San Jose State (0-1) Washington State (1-0), Gonzaga (0-3) and Pacific (2-1). 

BYU REVIEW. The Cougars enter the weekend series with a 9-18 record and are also 3-6 in WCC games. BYU has played home games against Omaha (2-1), Utah (1-0), UVU (1-0) and Saint Mary’s (1-2). The Cougars are 5-3 in games at Miller Park but have played 19 of 27 games on the road so far in 2023. The Cougars and Dons are currently tied for 7th in the WCC standings, just one game behind Santa Clara and two games back of San Diego and Saint Mary's. 

UP NEXT. Following the four-game home stand, BYU hits the road again for a three-game WCC series in Santa Clara, California, April 13-15.