Cougars Jump Out Early, Beat Pilots

PROVO, Utah – An offensive show by the BYU baseball team and a strong outing from starter Jordan Wood gave the Cougars game one against Portland 10-1 Thursday night at Larry H. Miller Field.

"I think we learned a little bit Tuesday night at Utah Valley," BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said. "We got up seven runs and lost that lead, so the feeling in the dugout tonight was a little bit different. If there is one guy you want on the mound it's Jordan. He's just a bulldog out there." 

BYU vs. Portland Box Score

Game Summary

• The Cougars scored five runs in the first inning to take an early lead. BYU is 5-0 when scoring in the first inning and 8-1 when earning the first run of the game this season.
• In the second inning, Jackson Cluff and Keaton Kringlen each brought in a run to bring the score to 7-0.
• The Pilots scored their only run in the fourth inning after a double to left field.
• BYU added two more runs in the seventh following a triple by Danny Gelalich and singles from Brian Hsu and Cluff.

Player Highlights

• Jordan Wood: W (3-0), 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
• Jackson Cluff: 2-3, 2B 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
• Mitch McIntyre: 1-4, 2B, 3 RBI, HBP

In the first inning, Bryan Call singled to left field to give BYU (15-5, 2-2 WCC) momentum early. Brock Hale earned the first walk of the night and Cluff was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out on the board. Austin Deming also walked to bring in the first run of the game before Mitch McIntyre doubled to right field for three runs. Noah Hill rounded it out with an RBI to bring the score to a dominant 5-0 lead.

In the second inning, Cluff’s second time at bat resulted in an RBI as he doubled to center field. With two outs on the board, Keaton Kringlen added his own single to bring a runner home and extend the Cougars’ lead to 7-0.

The Pilots (15-7, 1-3) scored their only run of the game in the fourth inning after a double to left field, bringing the score to 7-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, Danny Gelalich tripled down the right field line and was sent home as Hsu hit a single on the next pitch. An error advanced Hsu to second base and an RBI by Cluff gave BYU a 9-1 lead.

Jordan Wood threw eight full innings, tallying six strikeouts. In the fourth, sixth and seventh innings, Portland had two runners on base, but Wood closed out each inning without allowing a run. Wood's ERA is now at 1.63 on the year as he improves to 3-0.

The Cougars return to Larry H. Miller Field for game two of the three-game series against the Pilots on Friday, Mar. 22, at 6 p.m. MDT. The link to live streaming can be found here.