LOS ANGELES – No. 25 BYU baseball evened up the series with LMU, defeating the Lions 8-5 in game two on Friday at Page Stadium.

“Our guys fought hard tonight,” BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said. “We kept the pressure on them all night and capitalized on their mistakes.”

BYU vs. LMU Box Score

Game Summary

• Six of BYU’s eight runs were unearned due to four LMU errors
• Freshman Ryan Sepede hit a single in the ninth for the first hit of his BYU career
• With the win, BYU broke a four-game losing streak to LMU, getting its first victory over the Lions since a 5-4 win in the 2017 WCC Tournament

Player Highlights

• Danny Gelalich: 2-4, R, RBI
• Jarod Lessar: W (3-1), 2.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 K
• Blake Inouye: S (2), 0.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H

A quick solo home run put LMU on top in the first inning, but the Cougars answered back to take the lead in the top of the second. Jackson Cluff singled and Ryan Sepede walked, then both runners advanced to get in scoring position. Danny Gelalich cashed in one run with a single up the middle and a Carson Matthews groundout scored another to give BYU a 2-1 lead.

Down 3-2 going into the fifth, BYU had a unique inning, scoring four runs on no hits. Noah Hill and Brock Hale reached on a walk and hit by pitch, respectively, before Mitch McIntyre laced a ball between the Lion first baseman’s legs. The ball went all the way to the wall, allowing Hill and Hale to score and McIntyre to reach third on the error.

Cluff was intentionally walked and stole second, then Austin Deming walked to load the bases. The Cougars took advantage of another LMU error when the Lion catcher threw a potential pick-off throw over the first baseman, allowing McIntyre and Cluff to score to bring the Cougar margin to 6-3.

The Cougars tacked on a seventh run the following inning, again with no hits and thanks to another LMU error. With runners on first and second, the Lion shortstop attempted to complete the double play but the throw went awry, allowing Carson Matthews to continue from third to home.

Coming into the game ranked 21st in the nation in double plays per game, BYU turned two more on Cluff-to-Deming connections, including an inning-ending play to end a threat in the seventh.

Different inning, same result for BYU in the eighth when Hill reached on a single, but the throw to first got away from the fielder, allowing Gelalich to score.

Jarod Lessar came on to earn his third win of the year, pitching 2.1 innings in relief with three strikeouts and no runs. With the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, Blake Inouye came in to draw out a pop up to end the game and earn his second save.

BYU and LMU play the third and final game of the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT on TheW.tv, BYU Radio and ESPN 960 AM.

PROVO, Utah - No. 25 BYU baseball will play a three-game series at LMU this weekend as the race for the West Coast Conference regular season title and a berth in the WCC Tournament heats up.

BYU vs. LMU Game Notes

First pitch for games one and two are set for 6 p.m. PT and game three at 1 p.m. PT. All three games will air live on TheW.tv, BYU Radio and ESPN 960.

The Cougars (29-11, 13-5) have nine games left in WCC play and are neck-and-neck with Gonzaga (24-17, 15-6) and LMU (26-18, 13-8) for the conference lead.

Senior Jordan Wood (4-1, 4.34 ERA), sophomore Easton Walker (6-0, 0.93) and sophomore Justin Sterner (8-3, 2.30) will make up the starting rotation this weekend. BYU's pitching staff continues to have one of the best seasons in program history, including ranking 15th in ERA nationally.

BYU’s 3.34 ERA, .245 opposing batting average, 3.90 runs allowed per game, 2.93 walks allowed per game and 7.88 strikeouts per game are all currently the best marks in program history since 1969. 

Players on the mound are also getting good help in the field - BYU's average of just under one double play a game is 27th in the nation and the Cougars have a sterling fielding percentage of .975.

Brock Hale (.415) and Mitch McIntyre (.406) are each batting above .400 in the Cougars' last 10 games, helping BYU to a .283 batting average as a team.

BYU entered the week ranked 25th in the nation by Baseball America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, the Cougars second week ranked this season.