Miller Park
400 E University Parkway Provo UT 84604
PROVO -- A two-run home run by Ben Saylor in the seventh and Paul Jacinto's second strong appearance in three days gave BYU a 6-5 victory over San Diego State on Saturday.
The Cougars (16-25, 6-9 in the Mountain West Conference) captured the series victory at Larry H. Miller Field, winning two of three against the Aztecs (20-22, 9-4) who came into Provo tied with UNLV for first place in the MWC.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh and Rob Itri on first in front of 1,052 fans, Saylor belted a long home run over the left-center fence to put the Cougars ahead for good. The homer is Saylor's third of the year and came after San Diego State broke a 4-4 tie with a run in the top of the seventh.
"I felt like I had been swinging well all day," Saylor said. "He (Ben Coon) threw me a fastball on the first pitch, and when I hit it, I knew I had something on it. It's nice to get one at home."
After the sophomore right fielder went 0-for-3 in his first three at bats against Aztec starter Coon (4-1), BYU head coach Vance Law said he almost lifted Saylor for a pinch hitter in the seventh.
"I almost put Kevin Bills in there because of the lefty-righty situation," Law said. "But Saylor had been hitting the ball well, so I left him in there. He's going to have to face the lefties sooner or later. But boy, I'm glad I left him in there because he sure came through for us in a big way. It was exactly what the doctor ordered"
Jacinto (1-8) picked up his first save of the year after winning his first game in relief on Thursday. Last year's MWC Pitcher of the Year had begun the season 0-8 as a starter.
"I hope that this will be something to turn Paul's past behind him," Law said. "He's not worrying about his record anymore. He's just worrying about the game and the impact he can have on it."
With runners on first and second and nobody out in the ninth inning, Jacinto entered the game in relief of Lance Beus. A running catch on a line drive made by Saylor and a 5-4 double play preserved the win.
An error led to three unearned runs in the second inning as the Cougars took a 3-0 lead. San Diego State came back to tie the score with three in the third off J.D. Stambaugh (2-0) in his third start.
Wade Vest doubled and stole third in the fourth inning. He then came around to score on a groundout by Ryan Chambers, giving BYU a 4-3 lead. The Aztecs tied the game with a run in the fifth and then went ahead 5-4 with a run in the seventh.
Beus (3-1) picked up his third win after pitching three-plus innings of relief. The junior transfer allowed one run on four hits and struck out one. Chambers finished the series 6-for-13 with seven RBI after a 2-for-4 performance with two RBI on Saturday,
The Cougars will continue MWC play with a three-game series at Air Force beginning Thursday. The Falcons have yet to win in conference play.
San Diego State at Brigham Young Univ.Apr 17, 2004 at Provo, Utah (Larry H.Miller Field)
San Diego State 5 (20-22,9-4 MWC)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
BURT, Landon lf.......... 4 1 0 0 1 1 4 0 0
GUERRERO, James ss....... 4 0 1 0 1 2 1 3 2
EMBREY, Rielly 1b........ 4 0 1 1 1 0 8 2 0
UNGRICHT, Brock dh....... 5 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 1
MCLINTOCK, Jake rf....... 5 1 2 0 0 0 4 0 1
SWAYDAN, Jordan c........ 4 0 2 2 0 2 5 0 0
FLOQUET, Kyle 2b......... 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 5
CHANGNON, Garrett 3b..... 4 1 3 0 0 0 0 2 0
HALL, David cf........... 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
COON, Ben p.............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0
ZINK, J.T. p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SCHROYER, Ryan p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals................... 38 5 12 5 3 6 24 11 9
Brigham Young Univ. 6 (16-25,6-9 MWC)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
CHAMBERS, Ryan cf........ 4 0 2 2 1 0 2 0 0
WIENS, Ranger 3b......... 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 4
ITRI, Rob dh............. 4 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 1
HIESTAND, Jeff lf........ 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0
BILLS, Kevin lf......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SAYLOR, Ben rf........... 4 1 1 2 0 0 5 0 0
TAYLOR, Brandon ss....... 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 0
LAW, Tim 1b.............. 4 1 2 0 0 0 11 0 3
WILKES, Adam c........... 4 1 1 1 0 1 6 0 0
CLOWARD, Casey c........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
VEST, Wade 2b............ 4 1 2 1 0 0 2 2 0
STAMBAUGH,J.D. p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BURGER, Bryce p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BEUS, Lance p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
JACINTO, Paul p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals................... 36 6 11 6 1 5 27 9 8
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
San Diego State..... 003 010 100 - 5 12 2
Brigham Young Univ.. 030 100 20X - 6 11 0
-------------------------------------------
E - GUERRERO; CHANGNON. DP - BYU Cougars 1. LOB - SDSU Aztecs 9; BYU Cougars
8. 2B - SWAYDAN; HALL; VEST. HR - SAYLOR(3). HBP - WIENS. SB - CHANGNON;
VEST 2. CS - CHAMBERS.
San Diego State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
COON, Ben........... 6.2 10 6 3 0 5 31 32
ZINK, J.T........... 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 4 5
SCHROYER, Ryan...... 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Brigham Young Univ. IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
STAMBAUGH,J.D....... 2.1 5 3 3 2 2 12 14
BURGER, Bryce....... 2.2 3 1 1 0 3 11 11
BEUS, Lance......... 3.0 4 1 1 1 1 13 14
JACINTO, Paul....... 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
Win - BEUS (3-1). Loss - COON (4-1). Save - JACINTO (1).
WP - BURGER. HBP - by COON (WIENS).
Umpires - HP: Tony Sender 1B: Jason Rogers 3B: Terry Balser
Start: 12:02 pm Time: 2:43 Attendance: 1152
Game notes:
Game 3 of 3
BEUS faced 2 batters in the 9th.
Play-by-Play
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
San Diego State..... 003 010 100 - 5 12 2
Brigham Young Univ.. 030 100 20X - 6 11 0
-------------------------------------------
San Diego State starters: 8/lf BURT; 1/ss GUERRERO; 7/1b EMBREY; 25/dh
UNGRICHT; 15/rf MCLINTOCK; 12/c SWAYDAN; 10/2b FLOQUET; 6/3b CHANGNON;
24/cf HALL; 38/p COON;
Brigham Young Univ. starters: 22/cf CHAMBERS; 8/3b WIENS; 21/dh ITRI; 16/lf
HIESTAND; 25/rf SAYLOR; 3/ss TAYLOR; 1/1b LAW; 24/c WILKES; 5/2b VEST;
32/p STAMBAUGH;
San Diego State - inning 1
BURT grounded out to 2b. GUERRERO singled up the middle. EMBREY grounded
out to 2b; GUERRERO advanced to second. UNGRICHT grounded out to 1b
unassisted. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. - inning 1
CHAMBERS singled to right center. CHAMBERS out at second p to 1b to ss,
caught stealing. WIENS struck out swinging. ITRI grounded out to 2b. 0
runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
San Diego State - inning 2
MCLINTOCK flied out to rf. SWAYDAN struck out looking. FLOQUET fouled out
to rf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. - inning 2
HIESTAND flied out to rf. SAYLOR out at first 1b to p. TAYLOR reached on
a fielding error by ss. LAW singled through the right side; TAYLOR
advanced to third. WILKES singled to center field, RBI; LAW advanced to
second; TAYLOR scored, unearned. VEST singled to right center, RBI;
WILKES advanced to second; LAW scored, unearned. CHAMBERS singled up the
middle, RBI; VEST advanced to third; WILKES scored, unearned. WIENS flied
out to rf. 3 runs, 4 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
San Diego State - inning 3
CHANGNON singled up the middle. HALL doubled down the lf line; CHANGNON
advanced to third. BURT walked. GUERRERO struck out swinging. EMBREY
walked, RBI; BURT advanced to second; HALL advanced to third; CHANGNON
scored. UNGRICHT singled to left field, 2 RBI; EMBREY advanced to second;
BURT scored; HALL scored. MCLINTOCK singled to shortstop; UNGRICHT
advanced to second; EMBREY advanced to third. BURGER to p for STAMBAUGH.
SWAYDAN struck out swinging. FLOQUET struck out swinging. 3 runs, 4 hits,
0 errors, 3 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. - inning 3
ITRI singled through the left side. HIESTAND struck out looking. SAYLOR
flied out to lf. TAYLOR reached on a fielding error by 3b, advanced to
second; ITRI advanced to third. LAW grounded out to p. 0 runs, 1 hit, 1
error, 2 LOB.
San Diego State - inning 4
CHANGNON singled down the rf line. HALL flied out to cf. CHANGNON stole
second. BURT struck out swinging. GUERRERO fouled out to rf. 0 runs, 1
hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. - inning 4
WILKES struck out looking. VEST doubled to left center. VEST stole third.
CHAMBERS grounded out to ss, RBI; VEST scored. WIENS hit by pitch. ITRI
struck out swinging. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
San Diego State - inning 5
EMBREY grounded out to 1b unassisted. UNGRICHT singled to right field.
MCLINTOCK grounded out to 3b; UNGRICHT advanced to second. UNGRICHT
advanced to third on a wild pitch. SWAYDAN singled to center field, RBI;
UNGRICHT scored. FLOQUET popped up to 2b. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. - inning 5
HIESTAND singled to center field. SAYLOR flied out to lf. TAYLOR struck
out looking. LAW grounded out to 3b, bunt. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1
LOB.
San Diego State - inning 6
BEUS to p for BURGER. CHANGNON singled up the middle. HALL fouled out to
rf; CHANGNON advanced to second. BURT grounded out to ss. GUERRERO struck
out looking. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. - inning 6
WILKES grounded out to ss. VEST flied out to rf. CHAMBERS flied out to
lf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
San Diego State - inning 7
EMBREY grounded out to ss. UNGRICHT flied out to cf. MCLINTOCK singled to
second base. SWAYDAN doubled to right center, RBI; MCLINTOCK scored.
FLOQUET grounded out to ss. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. - inning 7
WIENS grounded out to ss. ITRI singled to left field. HIESTAND flied out
to lf. SAYLOR homered to center field, 2 RBI; ITRI scored. ZINK to p for
COON. TAYLOR flied out to rf. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
San Diego State - inning 8
BILLS to lf for HIESTAND. CHANGNON grounded out to ss. HALL popped up to
2b. BURT grounded out to p. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. - inning 8
LAW singled to right field. WILKES popped up to 1b. VEST reached on a
fielder's choice, stole second; LAW out at second 3b to 2b. CHAMBERS
intentionally walked. SCHROYER to p for ZINK. WIENS grounded out to 2b. 0
runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
San Diego State - inning 9
CLOWARD to c for WILKES. GUERRERO walked. EMBREY singled to right field;
GUERRERO advanced to second. JACINTO to p for BEUS. UNGRICHT flied out to
rf. MCLINTOCK grounded into double play 3b to 1b; GUERRERO out on the
play. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
For only the second time this season, BYU returns to Provo for a three-game series, hosting San Diego State beginning Thursday.
After playing 35 of 38 games on the road, the Cougars finish the regular season with 13 of their final 19 games at home. BYU is 0-3 at home after being swept by UNLV in March. Thursday and Friday's game times are scheduled for 7 p.m. with a noon start on Saturday.
Coached by future major league hall of famer Tony Gwynn, San Diego State enters the series after winning one game at Air Force with two games in the series being snowed out. The Aztecs are tied with UNLV on top of the Mountain West Conference standings with an 8-2 conference record and are 19-20 overall. BYU is fourth in the MWC at 4-8 and 14-24.
The Cougars are 30-56-1 against San Diego State all-time. Last season BYU split the six regular season games with the Aztecs. In the 2003 MWC Tournament in Albuquerque, San Diego State knocked the Cougars out of the tournament with two victories. BYU lost seven straight to the Aztecs in 2002 before winning back-to-back games in the MWC Tournament in Provo to win the championship and move on to the NCAA Regionals.
Flame-thrower Nick Lemon (1-2, 1.89) will make his first start on Friday. The junior has appeared in 13 games, pitching 19 innings with 23 strikeouts, 23 walks, 11 wild pitches, five hit batters and two saves. Averaging 10.9 K's per game, opponents are hitting a measly .102 with six hits off Lemon whose fastball has been clocked as high as 98 mph. His longest appearance this year came in a 17-inning victory over Utah on March 27. Lemon no-hit the Utes for 5 1/3 innings, picking up his first win in a 5-4 marathon.
Thursday and Saturday's starting pitchers remain the same with Patrick Wells (5-3, 5.37), the team leader in wins with five, the probable opening-series starter and Justin Su'a (2-2, 5.18) pitching the series final.
Senior Paul Jacinto (0-8, 6.52) will make the transition to the bullpen this week. The 2003 MWC Pitcher of the Year has smoked the opposition much of the year in the early innings and will add some experience to a struggling pen. He pitched a seven-hit complete game in a 1-0 loss to New Mexico on April 2. Jacinto has had success out of the bullpen, pitching 17 games in relief at BYU with one save.
Friday's game will be a live television broadcast on BYUTV, usually channel 21 locally, which is available nationally through DirectTV Plus (channel 374) and the Dish Network (channel 9403). The television broadcast can also be streamed live over the Internet. Veteran play-by-play announcer Jay Monsen and analyst Gary Sheide, a former BYU quarterback, will call the broadcast.
All three BYU-SDSU games can be listened to live on KOVO 960 AM with Brent Norton doing the play-by-play, and Saturday's game is also available on DirectTV and the Dish Network through the BYU Radio channel and over the Internet. All three games can be followed live with Gametracker and live audio. Links to the webcasts, audio casts and video casts can be found on BYU baseball's schedule page at www.byucougars.com. Clicking on the "Live Audio" link for Friday's game will link you to the television broadcast.