PROVO, Utah – For the first time this season, Santa Clara baseball dropped the first game of a West Coast Conference series after falling 5-1 to BYU on Thursday night.
Both teams finished the night with seven hits but the Cougars (15-12, 4-6 WCC) did a better job of bunching theirs together, scoring three times in the third and twice again the fourth. The Broncos (17-11, 6-4 WCC) on the other hand could only get the clutch hit in the fourth.
It was a balanced attack for BYU who had just Ozzie Pratt record multiple hits but each of the first four in the lineup all drove in a run. Brock Watkins added a pair of runs scored, as did Collin Reuter.
Jack Sterner (3-1) picked up the win. He lasted 5 1/3 while surrendering a run on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.
Cole Kitchen (3-2) never got in a groove and ended up taking the loss in his shortest start of the year. He went 3 2/3 while allowing five runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
Matt Jew was the bright spot on offense, going 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored. Efrain Manzo collected the lone RBI after his double followed Jew's and JonJon Berring posted two hits and a walk. Coleman Brigman also had a hit to extend his on-base streak to 27 games.
NEXT UP
Game two is tomorrow at 5 p.m. Pacific.
Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Baseball: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram