STOCKTON -- Two newcomers looked good for BYU in its season opening baseball loss 2-1, Thursday at the University of the Pacific.

Junior righthander Jesse Craig pitched six innings with six strikeouts and only one walk while earning the loss for the Cougars.

BYU freshman third baseman Chris Johnson went three for four on the night with three singles in his college baseball debut. His were big shoes to fill at third with the departure of 2005 All-American Brandon Taylor.

The game ended up as a pitching duel as Tiger starter and eventual winner Ty'Rell Harris (1-0) went five innings to boost UOP to a 3-1 record. Pacific Coach Ed Sprague said it was "really a well-pitched game on both sides." Neither team could get much going off of the starters or its relievers.

Ramon Glasgow got the Tigers on board in the bottom of the fourth, breaking a scoreless tie. The rightfielder scored from third on a liner to left by Jake Ross after leading off the inning with a double to Jeff Hiestand in right. Glasgow then advanced to third on a Will Brindza sacrifice grounder to BYU first baseman Ben Saylor.

Ross then scored what would turn out to be the winning run from second on an RBI single up the middle by Adam Ching.

In top of fifth the Cougars got on the board after Harris issued consecutive walks to the first two batters he faced, second baseman Dan Vargas and designated hitter Austin Carter. Cougar shortstop Marcos Villezcas laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners over. With men on second and third and no outs, Saylor grounded to second for an out but was able to score Vargas from third. Hiestand struck out to end the inning.

The Tigers threatened again in the bottom of the fifth with men on first and third with one out. A Saylor catch in foul territory and a long running catch by Adrian Molina in center ended the inning.

Matt Berezay hit ground-rule double with two outs in bottom of the sixth off Craig and then advanced to third on a passed ball. A Villezcas catch ended the threat for Craig.

In the top of the seventh inning the Cougars looked poised to score some runs. With one out Carter hit an infield single, just beating out the throw by a step. Next up, Villezcas singled on a liner to right with Carter advancing to third on the hit. He was just under the tag on a hard throw by Glasgow.

Saylor, the no. 3 hitter, walked on a full count to load the bases with cleanup hitter Hiestand on deck. Hiestand stuck out on four pitches and then Nelson flied out to center to end the inning.

Cougar reliever Josh Barrett started off the seventh with a strikeout. He then hit Glasgow with a pitch. With Glasgow on first and one out, Tiger catcher Will Brindza hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Walton struck out to start the eighth followed by Johnson who hit a line drive single to left, his third for the night. With Blake Crosby pinch-hitting for Molina, Tiger second baseman Ching turned a double play to end the inning on a bloop and a base-running miscue by Johnson.

Barrett struck out two batters to finish the bottom of the eighth, retiring the Tigers in order for the first time all night.

With two outs and two strikes Villezcas hit a single. With the tying run on base in pinch runner Stetson Banks, Saylor struck out on a one-two pitch from Tiger reliever Curtis Pasma who picked up the save, his first on the season.

The two teams meet again Friday night for game two of the three game series.

Feb 09, 2006 at Stockton, Calif. (Stockton Ballpark)
BYU Cougars 1 (0-1)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
CARTER, Austin dh........  4  0  1  0   1  2  0  0   0
VILLEZCAS, Marcos ss.....  4  0  3  0   0  1  1  2   0
 BANKS, Stetson pr.......  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
SAYLOR, Ben 1b...........  3  0  0  1   2  1  8  0   1
HIESTAND, Jeff lf........  4  0  0  0   0  2  0  0   3
NELSON, Casey c..........  4  0  0  0   0  1  9  0   3
WALTON, Kent rf/cf.......  3  0  1  0   1  1  1  0   0
JOHNSON, Chris 3b........  4  0  3  0   0  1  1  2   0
MOLINA, Adrian cf........  3  0  0  0   0  2  2  0   2
 CROSBY, Blake ph........  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 HIGHMARK, Chris rf......  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
VARGAS, Daniel 2b........  2  1  0  0   1  0  2  3   2
 NIELSEN, Dane ph........  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
CRAIG, Jesse p...........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 BARRETT, Josh p.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 33  1  8  1   5 11 24  7  11
Pacific Tigers 2 (3-1)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Ching, Adam 2b...........  3  0  1  1   0  0  1  2   0
Berezay, Matt cf.........  3  0  2  0   0  1  4  0   0
Baum, Justin 3b..........  4  0  0  0   0  1  1  1   4
Haar, Jason dh...........  3  0  0  0   1  3  0  0   3
Glasgow, Ramon rf........  3  1  1  0   0  1  2  0   0
Brindza, Will c..........  4  0  2  0   0  0 11  0   0
Ross, Jake lf............  4  1  1  1   0  1  1  0   0
Manning, Brett 1b........  4  0  0  0   0  1  6  0   3
Hall, Dale ss............  3  0  0  0   0  1  1  0   0
Harris, Ty'Relle p.......  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
 Centanni, Joey p........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
 Pasma, Curtis p.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 31  2  7  2   1  9 27  5  10
Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
BYU Cougars......... 000 010 000 -  1  8  1
Pacific Tigers...... 000 200 00X -  2  7  0
-------------------------------------------
E - VILLEZCAS(1). DP - Cougars 1; Tigers 1. LOB - Cougars 11; Tigers 10. 2B
- Berezay, M.(2); Glasgow, R.(1). HBP - Ching, A.; Berezay, M.; Glasgow, R.;
Hall, D.. SH - VILLEZCAS(1). SB - WALTON 2(2); Berezay, M.(1).
BYU Cougars            IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
CRAIG, Jesse........  6.0  7  2  2  1  6 26 30
BARRETT, Josh.......  2.0  0  0  0  0  3  5  6
Pacific Tigers         IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
Harris, Ty'Relle....  5.0  3  1  1  4  5 17 22
Centanni, Joey......  1.1  3  0  0  0  2  7  7
Pasma, Curtis.......  2.2  2  0  0  1  4  9 10
Win - Harris, T. (1-0).  Loss - CRAIG (0-1).  Save - Pasma, C. (1).
HBP - by CRAIG (Ching, A.); by CRAIG (Hall, D.); by CRAIG (Berezay, M.); by
BARRETT (Glasgow, R.). PB - NELSON(1).
Umpires - HP: Bill Speck  1B: Ron Barner  3B: Jim Lenau
Start: 6:00 pm   Time: 2:40   Attendance: 312
Game: PACBSB4
Play-by-Play
                            The Automated ScoreBook
                  BYU Cougars at Pacific Tigers - Play-by-Play
              Feb 09, 2006 at Stockton, Calif. (Stockton Ballpark)
Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
BYU Cougars......... 000 010 000 -  1  8  1
Pacific Tigers...... 000 200 00X -  2  7  0
-------------------------------------------
BYU Cougars starters: 6/dh CARTER; 10/ss VILLEZCAS; 25/1b SAYLOR; 16/lf HIESTAND;
8/c NELSON; 9/rf WALTON; 5/3b JOHNSON, C.; 1/cf MOLINA; 13/2b VARGAS; 35/p CRAIG;
Pacific Tigers starters: 3/2b Ching, A.; 20/cf Berezay, M.; 16/3b Baum, J.; 48/dh
Haar, J.; 2/rf Glasgow, R.; 8/c Brindza, W.; 25/lf Ross, J.; 30/1b Manning, B.;
12/ss Hall, D.; 36/p Harris, T.;
BYU Cougars 1st - CARTER struck out swinging. VILLEZCAS singled through the
right side. SAYLOR flied out to cf. HIESTAND lined out to rf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0
errors, 1 LOB.
Pacific Tigers 1st - Ching, A. flied out to cf. Berezay, M. struck out
looking. Baum, J. reached on an error by ss. Haar, J. struck out swinging. 0
runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
BYU Cougars 2nd - NELSON flied out to lf down the lf line. WALTON walked.
WALTON stole second. JOHNSON, C. singled; WALTON advanced to third. MOLINA struck
out looking. VARGAS lined out to 3b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Pacific Tigers 2nd - Glasgow, R. flied out to rf. Brindza, W. singled up the
middle. Ross, J. struck out swinging. Manning, B. reached on a fielder's choice;
Brindza, W. out at second ss to 2b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
BYU Cougars 3rd - CARTER grounded out to 3b. VILLEZCAS struck out looking.
SAYLOR walked. HIESTAND grounded out to 1b unassisted. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors,
1 LOB.
Pacific Tigers 3rd - Hall, D. grounded out to 3b. Ching, A. hit by pitch.
Berezay, M. singled; Ching, A. advanced to third. Baum, J. struck out swinging;
Berezay, M. stole second. Haar, J. struck out looking. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2
LOB.
BYU Cougars 4th - NELSON flied out to cf. WALTON singled to center field.
JOHNSON, C. struck out looking; WALTON stole second. MOLINA flied out to cf. 0
runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Pacific Tigers 4th - Glasgow, R. doubled. Brindza, W. grounded out to 1b
unassisted; Glasgow, R. advanced to third. Ross, J. singled, RBI; Glasgow, R.
scored. Manning, B. grounded out to 2b; Ross, J. advanced to second. Hall, D. hit by
pitch. Ching, A. singled up the middle, RBI; Hall, D. advanced to third; Ross, J.
scored. Berezay, M. hit by pitch; Ching, A. advanced to second. Baum, J. reached on
a fielder's choice; Berezay, M. advanced to second; Ching, A. out at third 3b
unassisted. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
BYU Cougars 5th - VARGAS walked. CARTER walked; VARGAS advanced to second.
VILLEZCAS grounded out to p, SAC, bunt; CARTER advanced to second; VARGAS advanced
to third. SAYLOR grounded out to 2b, RBI; CARTER advanced to third; VARGAS scored.
HIESTAND struck out swinging. 1 run, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Pacific Tigers 5th - Haar, J. walked. Glasgow, R. struck out swinging.
Brindza, W. singled through the right side; Haar, J. advanced to third. Ross, J.
fouled out to 1b. Manning, B. flied out to cf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2
LOB.
BYU Cougars 6th - Centanni, J. to p for Harris, T.. NELSON struck out
swinging. WALTON grounded out to p. JOHNSON, C. singled to left field. MOLINA struck
out swinging. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Pacific Tigers 6th - Hall, D. popped up to 1b. Ching, A. grounded out to 2b.
Berezay, M. doubled to center field. Berezay, M. advanced to third on a passed ball.
Baum, J. popped up to ss. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
BYU Cougars 7th - VARGAS flied out to rf. CARTER singled. VILLEZCAS singled;
CARTER advanced to third. Pasma, C. to p for Centanni, J.. SAYLOR walked; VILLEZCAS
advanced to second. HIESTAND struck out swinging. NELSON flied out to cf. 0 runs,
2 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Pacific Tigers 7th - BARRETT to p for CRAIG. Haar, J. struck out looking.
Glasgow, R. hit by pitch. Brindza, W. grounded into double play ss to 2b to 1b;
Glasgow, R. out on the play. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BYU Cougars 8th - WALTON struck out swinging. JOHNSON, C. singled to left
field. CROSBY pinch hit for MOLINA. CROSBY lined into double play 2b to 1b; JOHNSON,
C. out on the play. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Pacific Tigers 8th - WALTON to cf. HIGHMARK to rf for CROSBY. Ross, J.
grounded out to 3b. Manning, B. struck out swinging. Hall, D. struck out looking.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BYU Cougars 9th - NIELSEN pinch hit for VARGAS. NIELSEN popped up to ss.
CARTER struck out swinging. VILLEZCAS singled to left field. BANKS pinch ran for
VILLEZCAS. SAYLOR struck out swinging. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Baseball begins for BYU in its season opener this Thursday to start a three-game series at the University of Pacific.

The Cougars, 39-19-1 last season, expect to start junior college transfer Jesse Craig on the mound in Thursday's 6 p.m., debut against the Tigers, who are 2-1 this season after playing at Santa Clara last weekend. The hard-throwing righthander posted an 8-2 record with a 1.30 earned run average last season for Southern Nevada Community College.

"We are excited for the season to get underway," said BYU Coach Vance Law, who is in his seventh season at the Cougar helm. "We are tired of hitting against our own pitching. Everybody is anxious to start up where we left off last season with continued intensity."

The probable starters for games two and three for BYU are Patrick Wells and Brandon Christiansen. Wells, a senior lefty, was 1-1 last season when he received a medical redshirt, but was BYU's top pitcher in 2004 with a 7-5 record and a 5.76 ERA. Christiansen, a senior righthander was 4-2 and 5.24 as one of the Cougars' main starters last season.

This is the first of four trips BYU will make to California this season, including a first-ever mid-season Mountain West Conference Tournament in San Diego during March and the River City Classic later this month in Sacramento.

This is the first of two meetings this season between BYU Coach Vance Law and an opposing coach who also played in the Major Leagues. Pacific Coach Ed Sprague and Law each played for five teams in the Majors, including common organizations with the Pirates and A's.

The BYU-Pacific games will be played at Banner Island Ballpark, home of the minor league Stockton Ports. All of the games will be broadcast live via audiocast by the University of Pacific. Click here to listen to the games.

For more information on BYU's baseball team for 2006, click on the PDF link at the top of this page.