SAN DIEGO – No. 24 BYU baseball fell behind early and never recovered, losing 15-5 to San Diego on Thursday at Fowler Park.

“Jordan (Wood) just didn’t have anything working tonight,” BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said. “Nothing went our way. We’ll come back tomorrow and we’ll battle.”

BYU vs. USD Box Score

Game Summary

• The Cougars came back to as close as one run at 5-4 in the fifth, but 10 runs in the next three innings for San Diego pulled the game out of reach
• In his first return to the starting lineup since March 16, freshman Carson Matthews hit a two-run homer in the fifth and finished with three hits

Player Highlights

• Carson Matthews: 3-5, HR, R, 2 RBI
• Jackson Cluff: 1-2, 2 R, 3 BB
• Mitch McIntyre: 2-4, RBI

BYU loaded the bases in the first inning with one out, but couldn’t bring a run across. In the bottom of the frame, San Diego took advantage of its own bases loaded situation, hitting a grand slam to go on top, 4-0. Another Torero home run made it 5-0 after two.

The Cougars scored their first runs in the fifth – a leadoff single by Casey Jacobsen was followed by a home run to left field by Carson Matthews, the freshman’s first of his career. Later in the inning with runners on second and third after a pair of walks, a Mitch McIntyre single and a throwing error by the San Diego catcher scored both runners to make it 5-4.

But the Toreros stretched out their lead again, scoring two in the fifth on a two-out double and four more in the sixth, again all with two outs, to go up a game-high seven runs, 11-4.

BYU scored a run in the seventh off a wild pitch, but five more hits translated into four runs in the bottom of the inning for the final score, 15-5.

The two teams will play again on Friday, April 5, at 6 p.m. PDT on TheW.tv, BYU Radio and ESPN 960.

PROVO, Utah - No. 24 BYU travels to San Diego for its first road series in WCC play this season, taking on the Toreros April 4-6 at Fowler Park.

BYU vs. San Diego Game Notes

The Toreros won last year’s series, 2-1, but the Cougars took the series in 2016 and 2017, including two wins last time the teams faced off at Fowler Park.

The Cougars enter the weekend at 21-6, tied for the second-best mark through 27 games in program history. BYU went 23-4 in 2016 and also hit 21-6 in 1980 and 1983. 

BYU is also tied atop the WCC standings at 7-2 with Loyola Marymount with three series down and six still to play.  

The Cougars will again start senior right-hander Jordan Wood, sophomore right-hander Easton Walker and sophomore right-hander Justin Sterner in the three games this weekend. Along with freshman reliever Reid McLaughlin, the four players are the only teammates in the country to all be ranked in the top 130 nationally in ERA, with Walker in first at 0.00, McLaughlin 57th at 1.67, Sterner 93rd at 2.04, and Jordan Wood 123rd at 2.25. No other team has more than two.

At the plate, BYU is also among the national leaders, ranking 45th in the NCAA with a .290 batting average and 37th with a .393 on-base percentage.

Brock Hale, last week's WCC Player of the Week and a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week, is hitting .421 over his last 10 games with 33 total bases, 13 RBIs and 12 runs. Jackson Cluff, Brian Hsu and Mitch McIntyre also each have 13 or more hits over BYU's last 10 contests.