LOS ANGELES (May 1, 2013)—Desmond Poulson threw 109 pitches in a complete game Thursday as BYU gathered 18 hits in an 8-3 victory over Loyola Marymount.

BYU, now 23-17 overall and 9-7 in the West Coast Conference, gained needed ground in the league with a series opening win at LMU, 21-24 and 9-10, thanks to Poulson and a key double by Brock Whitney. Poulson's record improves to 6-1.

Brock Whitney worked a full count, two-out double off the green scoreboard with hand-hung numbers below the Miros Blue Monster to plate Adam Law with the go-ahead run, 3-2 in the seventh.

“To me that was the biggest at bat in the game when he hit off the wall” BYU coach Mike Littlewood said about his team regaining the lead.

LMU’s Matt Lowenstein, one of the nation’s leaders in triples, led off with his specialty and scored in the first inning.

In the third inning, Jacob Hannemann’s bunt popped over the pitcher’s head nullifying the sacrifice attempt and leaving him on first with a fielder’s choice. Hannemann capitalized on one of his skills and pre-game tutelage of former Cougar theft master Cameron Coughlan. Hannemann easily stole second, and then scored on Trace Hansen’s single to left field.

Poulson closed out the third and fourth innings with swinging strikeouts. Hannemann beat out a grounder to shortstop on a controversial call to lead off the fifth, waited to steal second again and advanced to third on Hansen’s sac-bunt. Adam Law’s one-out sac-fly to right field enabled Hannemann to give BYU a 2-1 lead.

Jaycob Brugman got his first hit of game, a solo homer, the fifth dinger all year to leave George Page Stadium, as the score increased to 6-2 in favor of BYU.  With base runners every inning, each Cougar starter collected a hit from three of the four LMU pitchers, including Hannemann who went 3 for 6, scoring three runs and gathering three RBI.

The two teams meet again on Friday afternoon in the second of a three-game series with KOVO Radio 960 AM again airing the live broadcast which will be carried over the Internet.

A third of BYU baseball’s remaining league schedule happens this week in its last full road trip of the West Coast Conference season.

BYU, 22-17 overall and 8-7 in the WCC, faces Loyola Marymount, 21-23 and 9-9, in a three-game series starting Thursday that could determine the Cougars’ qualifying for the WCC tournament the end of this month.

Desmond Poulson (5-1, 2.44) takes the mound for BYU in Thursday afternoon’s game, followed by Jeff Barker (3-3, 3.80) on Friday also at 3 p.m. PDT. Adam Miller (3-6, 5.34) is scheduled to start on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. PDT.

“Live at bats are key for us,” BYU coach Mike Littlewood said after his team’s 15-7 win at Utah Valley prior to the LMU games. “It’s a huge series for us. There’s no disputing that we have to go down there and win the series to stay in the hunt in my mind. It’s going to be a battle this weekend, but we are looking forward to it.

“Desmond (Poulson) is the guy who sets the tone for us. You’ll never see him show a lot of emotion on the mound.”

The BYU-LMU series will be broadcast live over KOVO Radio 960 AM and on the Internet.

After the series at LMU, BYU plays at Utah on Tuesday before returning to league play at home against San Francisco.