Early hole leads to 9-4 loss and series sweep by LMU over BYU

BYU vs. LMU Game three box score

PROVO, Utah -- A dozen Cougars were left on base and BYU baseball booted three plays en route to a 9-4 loss against Loyola Marymount in the series finale Saturday at Larry H. Miller Field. 

"I felt like we came out flat," BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said. "Baseball comes down to one play here or there; they made them, and we didn't."

BYU's loss marked the first sweep of the Cougars (9-9, 0-3 West Coast Conference) on their home turf since 2015. The Lions (9-10, 3-0 WCC) rocked the BYU pitching staff for 17 hits and nine runs in the third game of the series.

LMU batted around in the first inning to score five runs in the first. Brian Hsu and Daniel Schneemann reached with base knocks in the bottom half but were stranded as the Cougars trailed 5-0.

The Lions pushed another run across in the second and led 6-0 through three innings.

BYU got on the board when Brock Hale rocketed a high pitch over the left field scoreboard in the fourth for a two-run homer, his sixth shot of the season.

Hale came through again for the Cougars in the fifth, with a hit through the middle to score Jarrett Perns, who also singled.

The score remained 6-3 through the sixth, as Brennon Anderson made a diving play up the middle to keep LMU off the board in the inning. He spun and nabbed the batter at first for the third out to strand runners on the corners.

After the Lions doubled home a run in the eighth, Perns ripped his first home run as a Cougar to make it 7-4 for LMU. That wasn’t enough to make up for missed opportunities, as the BYU bats left the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh innings.

The Lions added two to their lead in the ninth, getting a hit and taking advantage of a pass ball with the bases loaded.

Cougar starter Hayden Rogers (2-2) settled in after allowing five runs in the first, and finished his night with five earned in 5.2 innings.

Next week, the Cougars have a Tuesday matchup with Utah at home, and a Provo weekend series with Gonzaga. Thursday's game against the Bulldogs will be televised on ESPNU.