PROVO, Utah -- Wes Guenther and Austin Hall combined for six RBI as the BYU baseball team (15-12, 3-3) defeated UVU 11-3 Tuesday at Larry H. Miller Field.
Guenther delivered a bases–loaded double in the bottom of the fifth inning that gave the Cougars a 4-3 lead. Hall drove in two more for BYU in the bottom of the seventh, extending the lead to 8-3.
"Anytime you start developing a cushion, it gives a pitcher more confidence," said BYU head coach Vance Law. "We've got good team speed and we took advantage of that a couple of times tonight."
Right fielder Jaycob Brugman went 2-for-4 from the plate with one RBI and in the process extended his team-leading hitting streak to eight games.
Making his fourth start of the season, freshman Desmond Poulson sat the Wolverines down in order in the first inning and held UVU hitless through the first three innings. Poulson would strike out three and surrender five hits in five innings of work to improve his record to 3-0.
"I was really please with Desmond's outing," Law said. "He is still learning, but he had good command tonight."
Designated hitter Chase Frampton got things rolling for the Cougars with an RBI single in the bottom half of the first.
The Wolverines would take the lead in the top of the fourth after Poulson hit two batters and a triple made the score 2-1. UVU added to its lead with one more run in the inning.
After left fielder Ryan Bernal was intentionally walked to load the bases in the bottom of the fifth, pinch hitter Wes Guenther lined a bases-clearing double to the right-center gap, driving in three and put the Cougars back on top 4-3.
Junior Matthew Neil took over for Poulson in the sixth inning after a UVU double put two runners in scoring position. Neil retired three-consecutive Wolverines to end the threat and preserve the lead.
"I like starting, but I've been working to pick up my intensity no matter when I come in," Neil said. "I just try to come in and attack hitters and be aggressive."
Catcher Alex Wolfe extended the Cougar lead in the bottom of the sixth with his third homerun of the season, a solo shot that gave BYU a 5-3 advantage.
The Cougars would add three insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh and three more in their half of the eighth to give Neil an 11-3 cushion.
The Cougars return to Larry H. Miller Field Thursday for the first of a three-game series with the Air Force Falcons, with opening pitch is set for 6 p.m. MDT.
Utah Valley Univ. at Brigham Young Univ.Apr 05, 2011 at Provo, Utah (Larry H Miller Field)
Utah Valley Univ. 3 (7-17)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
DOXEY, Kirk dh........... 3 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
McWHORTER, Cole 2b....... 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0
BENSON, Chris cf......... 4 1 1 2 0 0 3 0 3
BURGESS, Billy rf........ 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
HAWS, Austin 3b......... 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
HEAPS, Austin 1b/rf...... 4 0 1 0 0 1 7 0 0
KALLUNKI, Goose 3b/1b.... 4 0 1 0 0 1 5 2 0
ZOLLINGER, Court c....... 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 1
HATCH, Kai ss............ 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 2
ZUNDEL, Jason lf......... 3 0 0 0 1 1 5 0 0
HANSEN, Ty p............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
CHADWICK, Ryan p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SWENSON, Josh p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OLSON, Preston p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BRIMHALL, Craig p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BEECHER, Kyle p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals................... 33 3 5 3 1 8 24 8 6
Brigham Young Univ. 11 (15-12)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
WELLS, Stephen cf........ 5 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0
LAW, Andrew ss........... 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 4 0
BERNAL, Ryan lf.......... 2 3 0 0 2 0 2 0 0
FRAMPTON, Chase dh....... 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
GUENTHER, Wes ph........ 2 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 0
BRUGMAN, Jaycob rf....... 4 2 2 1 1 0 2 0 1
WOLFE, Alex c............ 2 1 1 1 3 0 7 1 0
HALL, Austin 1b.......... 5 0 2 4 0 1 12 0 3
ROBINSON, Dillon 3b...... 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 2
NIELSEN, Dane 2b......... 3 1 0 0 1 0 2 3 3
POULSON, Desmond p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
NEIL, Matthew p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Totals................... 31 11 8 9 11 3 27 12 9
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
Utah Valley Univ.... 000 300 000 - 3 5 0
Brigham Young Univ.. 100 031 33X - 11 8 1
-------------------------------------------
E - ROBINSON(5). LOB - UVU 6; BYU 9. 2B - HEAPS, A(12); GUENTHER(2). 3B -
BENSON, C(2). HR - WOLFE(3). HBP - DOXEY, K; McWHORTER, C; BERNAL. SH -
LAW(8). SB - LAW 2(11); BERNAL 2(2); BRUGMAN 2(3); NIELSEN(1).
Utah Valley Univ. IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
HANSEN, Ty.......... 4.2 3 4 4 4 0 16 21
CHADWICK, Ryan...... 1.1 2 1 1 0 1 6 6
SWENSON, Josh....... 0.2 0 2 2 1 1 2 4
OLSON, Preston...... 0.1 2 1 1 2 0 3 5
BRIMHALL, Craig..... 0.1 0 2 2 2 0 1 3
BEECHER, Kyle....... 0.2 1 1 1 2 1 3 5
Brigham Young Univ. IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
POULSON, Desmond.... 5.0 5 3 3 1 3 20 23
NEIL, Matthew....... 4.0 0 0 0 0 5 13 13
Win - POULSON (3-0). Loss - HANSEN, T (0-2). Save - NEIL (3).
WP - BRIMHALL, C(1); BEECHER, K(2). HBP - by POULSON (DOXEY, K); by POULSON
(McWHORTER, C); by SWENSON, J (BERNAL). BK - BEECHER, K(1).
Umpires - HP: Alan White 1B: Chad Veater 3B: Jeff Cluff
Start: 6:05 pm Time: 2:49 Attendance: 877
Weather: cloudy, 59 degrees
POULSON faced 2 batters in the 6th.
Utah Valley Univ. starters: 5/dh DOXEY, K; 1/2b McWHORTER, C; 3/cf BENSON, C;
13/rf BURGESS, B; 25/1b HEAPS, A; 33/3b KALLUNKI, G; 18/c ZOLLINGER, C; 6/ss
HATCH; 14/lf ZUNDEL, J; 23/p HANSEN, T;
Brigham Young Univ. starters: 5/cf WELLS; 6/ss LAW; 10/lf BERNAL; 30/dh
FRAMPTON; 4/rf BRUGMAN; 18/c WOLFE; 26/1b HALL; 3/3b ROBINSON; 16/2b NIELSEN;
19/p POULSON;
Utah Valley Univ. 1st - DOXEY, K struck out swinging. McWHORTER, C
grounded out to ss. BENSON, C grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors,
0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 1st - WELLS singled to right field. LAW grounded out
to p, SAC, bunt; WELLS advanced to second. BERNAL flied out to lf. FRAMPTON
singled to right field, RBI; WELLS scored. BRUGMAN singled to center field;
FRAMPTON advanced to third. BRUGMAN stole second. WOLFE walked. HALL reached on
a fielder's choice; WOLFE out at second ss unassisted. 1 run, 3 hits, 0
errors, 3 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 2nd - BURGESS, B grounded out to 3b. HEAPS, A flied
out to lf. KALLUNKI, G grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0
LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 2nd - ROBINSON grounded out to 3b. NIELSEN lined out
to 3b. WELLS popped up to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 3rd - ZOLLINGER, C grounded out to ss. HATCH struck
out swinging. ZUNDEL, J grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0
LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 3rd - LAW grounded out to ss. BERNAL grounded out to
2b. FRAMPTON grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 4th - DOXEY, K hit by pitch. McWHORTER, C hit by
pitch; DOXEY, K advanced to second. BENSON, C tripled to left center, 2 RBI;
McWHORTER, C scored; DOXEY, K scored. BURGESS, B grounded out to ss, RBI;
BENSON, C scored. HEAPS, A struck out swinging. KALLUNKI, G singled to center
field. ZOLLINGER, C reached on a fielder's choice; KALLUNKI, G out at second 3b
to 2b. 3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 4th - BRUGMAN fouled out to 1b. WOLFE flied out to
lf. HALL fouled out to c. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 5th - HATCH flied out to cf. ZUNDEL, J walked. DOXEY,
K fouled out to rf. McWHORTER, C singled to third base; ZUNDEL, J advanced to
second. BENSON, C flied out to rf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 5th - HAWS, A to 3b for BURGESS, B. HEAPS, A to rf.
KALLUNKI, G to 1b. ROBINSON grounded out to 2b. NIELSEN walked. WELLS flied out
to cf. LAW walked; NIELSEN advanced to second. LAW stole second; NIELSEN stole
third. BERNAL intentionally walked. CHADWICK, R to p for HANSEN, T. GUENTHER
pinch hit for FRAMPTON. GUENTHER doubled to center field, 2 RBI; BERNAL
advanced to third, scored on the throw; LAW scored; NIELSEN scored. BRUGMAN
flied out to cf. 3 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 6th - HAWS, A singled to center field. HEAPS, A
doubled down the lf line; HAWS, A advanced to third. NEIL to p for POULSON.
KALLUNKI, G struck out swinging. ZOLLINGER, C fouled out to 1b. HATCH struck
out swinging, out at first c to 1b. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 6th - WOLFE homered to right center, RBI. HALL
struck out looking. ROBINSON flied out to lf. NIELSEN grounded out to 3b. 1
run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 7th - ZUNDEL, J grounded out to 2b. DOXEY, K struck
out looking. McWHORTER, C reached on a throwing error by 3b, advanced to
second. BENSON, C flied out to cf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 7th - SWENSON, J to p for CHADWICK, R. WELLS struck
out swinging, out at first c to 1b. LAW flied out to lf. BERNAL hit by pitch.
BERNAL stole second. GUENTHER walked. OLSON, P to p for CHADWICK, R. BRUGMAN
singled to right field, RBI; GUENTHER advanced to third; BERNAL scored. BRUGMAN
stole second. WOLFE intentionally walked. HALL singled to center field,
advanced to second on the throw, 2 RBI; WOLFE advanced to third; BRUGMAN
scored; GUENTHER scored. ROBINSON walked. NIELSEN flied out to lf. 3 runs, 2
hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 8th - HAWS, A grounded out to p. HEAPS, A flied out to
lf. KALLUNKI, G popped up to 2b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Brigham Young Univ. 8th - BRIMHALL, C to p for OLSON, P. WELLS flied out
to cf. LAW walked. LAW advanced to second on a wild pitch. BERNAL walked.
BEECHER, K to p for BRIMHALL, C. GUENTHER struck out swinging; BERNAL stole
second; LAW stole third. BERNAL advanced to third; LAW scored on a balk.
BRUGMAN walked. BRUGMAN advanced to second on a wild pitch. WOLFE walked. HALL
singled to left field, 2 RBI; WOLFE advanced to second; BRUGMAN scored; BERNAL
scored. ROBINSON flied out to rf. 3 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Utah Valley Univ. 9th - ZOLLINGER, C struck out looking. HATCH grounded
out to 2b. ZUNDEL, J struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0
LOB.
Deceptive records and weather are concerns for BYU’s baseball team as it hosts Utah Valley University on Tuesday and the Air Force Academy this weekend.
BYU, now 14-12, first hosts UVU , 7-16, on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the first of 13 live televised games this season by BYUtv. Freshman Desmond Poulson (2-0, 6.75) has been tabbed as BYU’s starting pitcher against the Wolverines.
All three games against Air Force will be televised live by BYUtv with Jarom Jordan calling the play-by-play and Gary Sheide as color analyst. Thursday and Friday’s games are scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be rebroadcast by BYUtv at 10 p.m. those nights, while Saturday’s contest starts at 1 p.m.
Both BYU and Air Force, who had an 11-17 overall record coming into the week, have scheduled games with UVU and Northern Colorado, respectively, on Tuesday before meeting in Provo.
On the mound for BYU against Air Force will be Taylor Cole (3-1, 2.20), Chris Capper (2-2, 3.95) and Matthew Neil (1-2, 2.30) in that order. BYU is 3-3 in the Mountain West Conference, while AFA is 0-5.
“Weather will be a challenge, but our groundskeeper Brian Hill does a nice job and we’ll figure out a way to get the games in,” said BYU coach Vance Law. “Air Force is a solid team and UVU is playing better the last while. We will need to be on top of our game and can’t assume anything against these teams even though their records don’t appear to be stellar.”