May 3, 2012
Box Score
PROVO, Utah - The 19th-ranked University of San Diego baseball team scored 10 unanswered runs to claim a 14-7 victory over Brigham Young University Thursday evening in a West Coast Conference game at Larry H. Miller Field.
With the win, the Toreros improve to 34-11 overall, remain in sole possession of first place in the WCC with a 11-5 record, and capture the first game of this three-game series. With the loss, the Cougars fall to 18-19 overall, and 7-6 in the WCC.
San Diego's offense proved to be too much for the BYU pitching staff to handle, as USD pounded out 16 hits to score its 14 runs, while scoring in all but one inning. The Toreros offense was paced by Kris Bryant who went 2-for-5 with a home run and had four RBI. Lucas Hagberg (2-for-3), AJ Robinson (2-for-5), Corey LeVier (3-for-4), Louie Lechich (2-for-4) and Austin Bailey (2-for-5) all recorded multiple hits for the Toreros.
With USD trailing 7-4 heading into the top of the fifth inning, San Diego's offense went to work. The Toreros managed to score one run in the seventh on a Lechich RBI single, which scored Bryant, who drew a walk, to move the score to 7-5.
After USD took back another run in the top of the sixth inning, the Cougars sent in their closer into try and cool off the red hot San Diego bats. BYU's Mason Marshall had only given up one earned run in his first 24.1 innings of work this season, but that didn't stop the Torero bats from cooling off. In the top of the seventh inning, USD scored three runs on two hits. With two outs, Connor Joe drew a walk to get things started. Joe then advanced to second on a wild pitch and after Robinson drew a walk both Joe and Robinson would advance one base on another wild pitch. Bryant then singled in the first two runs of the inning. LeVier capped the scoring for the inning by doubling in Bryant, to give USD a 9-7 lead.
USD didn't stop there, as they managed to score a pair of runs in the top of the eighth with in back-to-back run-scoring doubles by LeVier and Lechich. The Toreros then capped the scoring for the day in the top of the ninth with three runs on a Bryant two-run single and a LeVier run-scoring double.
USD did get on the scoreboard first, as they pushed across two runs in the first, one run in the second and one in the third, but the Cougars took the early lead as they managed to score two runs in the second and fourth innings, and three in the third to grab a 7-4 lead setting up the exciting Torero rally.
On the mound, Max MacNabb (3-0) picked up the win for the Toreros as he allowed no runs, on one hit, in 2.1 innings of work. BYU's James Lengal (0-1) was saddled with the loss for the Cougars as he allowed one run on no hits in 0.0 innings of work.
The Toreros and Cougars will return to action on Friday in game two of this three-game WCC series. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. (PT).
