BYU vs. Omaha Game Two Box Score

PROVO, Utah – Brian Hsu led the BYU baseball team to an impressive 13-3 win over Omaha Friday night at Larry H. Miller Field.

"We didn’t make any mental mistakes tonight, which I liked," BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said. "We were good the first innings, but then came out and walked the first couple guys. Against teams in our league, that will really hurt us, and they’ll make us pay. We need to clean that up."

Hsu led the Cougars, hitting 4-for-5 on the night. He recorded three RBI from one home run and a double. Blake Inouye (1-1) stepped on the mound for BYU in the fourth inning and allowed four hits and one run, while throwing 38 strikes in 58 pitches.

Defensively, the Cougars started the game putting down the Mavericks in order. Brennon Anderson led off with a single up the middle. After advancing to third he scored off a wild pitch to put BYU on top 1-0 after the first inning.

A two-RBI double by Anderson in the bottom of the second extended the Cougar lead to 3-0 with two outs. A single to right field by Daniel Schneemann sent Anderson home for the third run of the inning as BYU took the 4-0 lead.

After a scoreless third, the first two Omaha batters walked. A passed ball advanced those runners, putting the Mavericks in scoring position with no outs. A sacrifice fly by Keil Krumwiede to center field put UNO on the board. The second hit of the inning sent another runner home, bringing the Mavericks within two, 4-2 in the top of the fourth. A double play ended that frame.

In the top of the fifth, a double down the right field line by Adam Caniglia advanced a runner to third and was followed by a single to shortstop to give Omaha its third run of the game.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, a wild pitch allowed Keaton Kringlen to cross the plate, giving the Cougars a 5-3 advantage with one out. Hsu grounded out to third for an RBI as Nate Favero plated for a 6-3 lead.

A three-RBI triple down the right field line by Favero extended the Cougar margin to 9-3 after six innings.

BYU scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh when Hsu crossed home plate after a passed ball and a sacrifice fly by Schneemann sent Jarrett Perns home for an 11-3 lead.

With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Mackay Jacobsen singled up the middle. Hsu followed with a home run, his second of the season, securing the Cougars' 13-3 victory.

BYU returns to Miller Field Saturday at 11 a.m. MST as it plays Omaha for the final time this series. The game will be televised on BYUtv and audio broadcasts can be heard on BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143) and ESPN 960 AM.

BYU vs. Omaha Game Notes

The official debut of BYU baseball’s new state-of-the-art field is Thursday against Nebraska Omaha to start a three-game series.

This week for the first time, the Cougars will play an NCAA game on the new field at Miller Park. In the history of BYU baseball it has always played on natural grass, including the past 48 years at the present site at Larry H. Miller Field.

The synthetic turf field looks stunning. The most valuable upgrade is the heating and drainage system that was installed underneath.

The new system can melt three to four inches of snow and drain 19 inches of water per hour, allowing a lot more field time during the winter months. Bullpens and batting cages were also expanded and a new bunting station was added since last season.

On this new surface, BYU looks to better its current 5-6 record in hosting the Mavericks. Omaha took a 4-7 record into a Tuesday night game at Minnesota. For three weeks the Cougars have been on the road. The series against Omaha starts an 11-game home stand for BYU.

On Thursday at 5 p.m., junior right-hander Jordan Wood (0-1, 3.71) will be BYU’s starting pitcher. Freshman right-hander Ryan Brady (0-0, 9.45) is scheduled to start in Friday’s game at 5 p.m. Senior lefthander Hayden Rogers (2-1, 4.05) will start in Saturday’s series finale at 11 a.m.

Both the Cougars and Mavericks landed player of the week honors this past week for their respective leagues.

Omaha pitcher Kinney Payton threw 140 pitches last Sunday in a no-hitter against Ohio for Summit League honors and National Pitcher of the Week honors by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. His team is ranked No. 2 in the nation in sacrifice bunts.

BYU slugger Brock Hale was the West Coast Conference Player of the week in raising his batting average 103 percentage points.

Admission will be free to Thursday’s game for those showing “A Pass of All Passes,” and to Saturday’s dollar hot dog game for Rex Lee Runners.

All of the BYU vs. Omaha games will be streamed live over the Internet and broadcast live over BYU Radio—Sirius XM 143. Saturday’s game will be televised live by BYUtv and broadcast live by ESPN Radio 960 AM.

Pending the outcome of Utah Valley basketball games in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament, Thursday and Friday’s BYU baseball games may also have coverage on ESPN 960 AM.