Cougars Claim 14-Inning Win

SAN LUIS OBISPO – A wild 14-inning affair resulted in a 5-4 victory for BYU baseball over Cal Poly to split a Saturday doubleheader.

Game 1 Box Score & Game 2 Box Score

Game 2 Highlights

• Danny Gelalich hit a double down the left field line, allowing Peyton Cole to score the game-winning run in the top of the 14th
• The BYU pitching staff held the Mustangs scoreless over the final seven innings and 12 of 14 innings overall
• BYU forced extra innings with a two-out double by freshman Cutter Clawson in the top of the ninth, then got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning

Game 2 Player Highlights

• Danny Gelalich: 1-5, 2B, R, BB, RBI
• Brock Watkins: 1-6, HR, R, RBI
• Tyson Heaton: W (1-0), 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, K
• Jarod Lessar: 5.1 IP, 0 ER, BB, 5 K

Down 4-3 going into the ninth, Hayden Leatham led off with a single. Bryan Call sacrificed Leatham to second before the Cougars suffered a strikeout, putting them down to their final out. But freshman Cutter Clawson came in to pinch hit and pulled through, doubling to center field on the first pitch he saw to tie the game.

Finally in the 14th frame, freshman Peyton Cole took a walk on a 3-2 pitch in the second at bat of his BYU career, then advanced to second on a ground out. That’s when Danny Gelalich kept a hit inside the right field line, bringing Cole around for the score.

Freshman Tyson Heaton went the final 2.2 innings to earn the victory for the Cougars, including putting Cal Poly down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 14th to seal the win.

Saturday’s win was the first time BYU has gone 14 or more innings since a 10-9 loss in 14 innings in 2013 and the first win since a 5-4 17-inning victory against Utah in 2004.

BYU took leads of 1-0 and then 3-1 early, but Cal Poly scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull ahead.

But the Cougars kept fighting, scoring the tying run in the ninth and holding Cal Poly scoreless for seven-straight innings. Seven Cougar pitchers threw in the game with freshman Mikade Johnson, junior Mitch McIntyre (going to the mound in the 10th after playing center field up to that point), freshman Cooper McKeehan and freshman Tyson Heaton keeping the Mustangs without a run down the final stretch.

In all, 20 Cougars played in the game, including eight freshmen. The win gave BYU three victories in four games at Cal Poly and brought the Cougars’ record on the year to 5-3.

Game 1

In the first game of the day, BYU suffered a setback, losing 10-0.

Pintar, Deming, Joshua Cowden and Gelalich had one hit apiece to make up the entirety of the Cougar offense.

The Mustangs scored one run in the fourth, three in the sixth, one in the seventh and five in the eighth on 16 hits.

BYU starter Easton Walker took the loss, going 5.2 innings and allowing five hits, two earned runs and no walks with four strikeouts.

The Cougars will travel next week to play four games at New Mexico from Feb. 27-29 at Santa Ana Star Field.