PROVO, Utah – No. 19 San Diego further solidified its place atop the West Coast Conference standings with a 13-2 victory over the BYU baseball team, Friday, at Larry H. Miller Field.

"This team has been crazy to watch, top to bottom," said BYU head coach Vance Law. "I'm very impressed with their coaches and players, and how well they play. We knew they were good but whatever we pitched to them, it didn't matter, they hit hard."

BYU pitcher Marc Oslund picked up his first loss of the season and saw his ERA rise from 3.24 to 4.34 after giving up seven runs in four innings. AJ Robinson jumped on Oslund early by hitting a home run on the fourth pitch of the game.

Robinson’s homer started a rally that led to five San Diego (35-11, 12-5) runs in the first inning. Torero starting pitcher Paul Sewald held BYU (18-20, 7-7) to one hit through the opening five innings.

"If I was a scout he'd (Sewald) be on my list," Law said. "He can do so much."

Senior Wes Guenther and freshman James Lengal recorded one RBI apiece for the Cougars. Lengal finished with the only extra base hit for BYU, a double that came in the eighth inning.

The Toreros continued to rack up the hits following the first inning outburst and finished with 18 in the game. Kris Bryant recorded the second San Diego home run in the second inning to extend the lead to 6-0 and Corey LeVier made it 7-0 with a sac fly in the fourth.

Tyler Westensee replaced Oslund in the fifth and held San Diego scoreless in the inning. The Toreros returned to form in the sixth and recorded four hits and three runs to push the lead to double digits at 10-0.

Guenther’s RBI came in the bottom of the sixth and narrowed the deficit to 10-1. The Cougars recorded three hits in the inning but stranded two runners and managed just one run.

Pinch hitters tried to spark BYU in the eighth inning. Freshman Jarrett Jarvis recorded a pinch hit single to center to start the inning and Lengal’s pinch double drove in Jarvis to make the score 11-2. Lengal reached third on an error but was unable to score after Dakota Hernandez struck out to end the inning.

BYU gave up a third home run, and the second to Bryant, in the top of the ninth. The homer made the score 13-2 and gave BYU its third double-digit loss of the season.  

The Cougars will finish their three-game series against San Diego on Saturday at noon MDT. The game will be televised by BYUtv and will also be broadcast by 960 AM, and BYU Radio online. 

One of the biggest weeks for BYU baseball finds the Cougars back in home territory as it plays Utah Valley University and No. 19 San Diego.

BYU [18-17, 7-5]  hosts league-leading San Diego (33-11, 10-5) in a three-game series starting Thursday, but first it plays Tuesday at UVU (30-11) at 6 p.m., in Orem.

UVU has a 23-game winning streak, preceded by the only game it lost in the Beehive State this season against Sacramento State on March 22.

“Utah Valley is playing with a great deal of confidence and has some nice wins,” BYU coach Vance Law said.  “That game prepares us for a huge series with San Diego.”

The Cougars are a game-and-a-half behind first-place San Diego.  Game times are Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a noon tilt on Saturday.

“We can make up some ground if we play well,” Law said.  “They have some outstanding performers and have a great tradition.”

USD has a pre-season All-American third baseman in Kris Bryant, who was recently named to Team USA, and the nation’s leader in saves, Michael Wagner with 19.

USD is the only West Coast Conference opponent that BYU coach Vance Law has not competed against.  The Cougars are hopeful any of their seven pitchers who each have one league victory thus far can secure a second WCC win.

All of the BYU-USD games will be televised live by BYUtv and by 960 AM and BYU Radio on the Internet.

Fans are invited to help Pitch-in for Baseball. Bring a used piece of baseball equipment (ball, bat, glove, catcher's gear, helmet, etc.) to any game during the San Diego weekend May 3-5 and receive free admission. Equipment barrels will be ready at the entrance. Drop in your gear and receive a free admission ticket. Pitch-in for Baseball is a foundation that facilitates baseball gear donation to needy communities around the world.