Cougars Take Win at Cal Poly

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Four runs in the eighth inning broke open a tied game and gave BYU baseball a 6-2 win at Cal Poly on Thursday in the first game of a four-game series.

Box Score

"I’ve said all along for us to be successful we need our veteran players to step up and help us and tonight that’s exactly what happened," BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said. "Justin Sterner gave us six strong innings, Mitch McIntyre and Austin Deming came through with huge hits, and Danny Gelalich made an incredible play in the outfield. Tonight we beat a great pitcher and I’m really proud of the guys for battling in a tough environment."

Game Summary

• Tied 2-2 in the eighth, Hayden Leatham’s grounder brought in the game-winning run. Austin Deming’s 3-RBI triple later in the inning put the Cougars up four runs
• The BYU pitching staff allowed zero earned runs with 10 strikeouts
• BYU has scored its game-winning runs in the eighth inning in each of the Cougars three victories this season

Player Highlights

• Austin Deming: 2-4, 3B, 3 RBI
• Mitch McIntyre: 2-3, 2B, R, HBP, 2 RBI
• Justin Sterner: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 7 K
• Reid McLaughlin: W (2-0), 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 K

Tied 2-2 in the top of the eighth, two singles and a walk loaded the bases for BYU (3-2). Hayden Leatham’s subsequent grounder to the Cal Poly second baseman was enough to bring in Brock Watkins from third and put BYU ahead.

After Mitch McIntyre was hit by a pitch to again load the bases with two outs, Austin Deming laced a hit over the center fielder’s head for a bases-clearing triple to put BYU up, 6-2. The hit was the sophomore’s first triple of his career.

Sophomore Reid McLaughlin earned his second win of the young season, pitching shutout innings in the seventh and eighth with three strikeouts before freshman Mikade Johnson came  in and closed out the Mustangs in the ninth.

BYU starter Justin Sterner had seven strikeouts of his own and did not allow an earned run in just over five innings. But Cal Poly (2-3) took the initial 1-0 lead in the fourth after an error on what would have been the third out and an RBI walk by the Mustangs.

In the seventh, a leadoff single from Andrew Pintar and a walk by Leatham put two BYU runners on with no outs. Mitch McIntyre took advantage, hitting a double down the left field line to score both runners and give BYU the 2-1 lead.

Another Cougar fielding error on a possible third out was followed by an RBI-single by Cal Poly to tie the score, 2-2, in the bottom of the seventh. But after Cal Poly starter Taylor Dollard was pulled, singles by Watkins and Bryan Call and a walk by Pintar set up the Cougars’ big eighth inning.

The Cougars and Mustangs will play again on Friday, Feb. 21, at 6 p.m. PT before playing a doubleheader Saturday, Feb. 22, starting at 1 p.m. PT.