Rucker and Robinson lead 4-0 upset over No. 29 SDSU

SAN DIEGO—A 4-0 upset by BYU baseball over No. 29 San Diego State Monday afternoon snapped a four-game Cougar losing streak in a non-league contest.

Sophomore transfer Michael Rucker picked up his third win, making his first start of the season as the Cougars improved to 12-16 behind his seven complete innings. SDSU falls to 22-7 after hurlers Kolton Mahoney and Keaton Cenatiempo came to Rucker’s aid in the final two innings.

“Ruck (Michael Rucker) was outstanding today,” BYU coach Mike Littlewood said. “He didn't give them (SDSU) many chances to put good swings on the ball all day long.  This was a big win for us in so many ways, but mainly to get the week started off on the right foot with a huge conference series coming up.

"We always talk about good pitching, playing catch and getting timely hitting - we did those three things very well today.”

BYU took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Tanner Chauncey drew a one-out walk and scored on Dillon Robinson’s double which sailed over the centerfielder’s head.

The Cougars snuffed out a lead-off triple in the seventh inning, stopping a suicide squeeze when the batter bunted through to enable catcher Bronson Larsen to apply the tag at home.

Robinson came up big again in the eighth inning with the bases loaded for a one-out, two-run single to give BYU a 3-0 lead.

Then sophomore Larsen lined a solo homer in the ninth, his first of the season, off the sixth of seven Aztec pitchers to give the Cougars a 4-0 lead.

Brennon Lund’s first of two singles extended his hitting streak to seven consecutive games.

BYU returns to West Coast Conference action with a three-game home stand starting Thursday against Portland.