By BRIAN DAVENPORT
The BYU Cougars beat the San Jose Spartans 4-3 in the second round of the Western Athletic Conference baseball playoffs in San Diego, but were eliminated when they lost to Fresno State in the third round.
The Cougars got off to a slow start in the second round by allowing the Spartans to get the first runs of the game. Junior pitcher Shane Bloomfield pitched the first seven innings of the game, beaning two Spartan batters.
The Cougars were able to get on the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Senior D.G. Nelson walked. Freshman Spencer Oborn stepped up to bat with one man on, and one out in the inning and hit a double down the left field line which brought in Nelson to bring the score to 2-1.
In the bottom of the sixth inning senior Glen Spencer singled to center field and was brought in by sophomore David Decker, bringing the score to 2-2.
In the bottom of the seventh inning senior Matt Stringham singled to center field. It was junior Scott Robinson who hit a double down the right field line, and brought in Stringham, bringing the score to 3-2.
In the top of the eighth inning the Spartans rallied back to score the tying run, and held the Cougars scoreless in the inning. The Cougars held the Spartans scoreless by bringing in Nelson to pitch in the top of the ninth.
The Cougars were able to score the winning run in the bottom of the inning. Nelson stepped up to bat and hit a double to left center, and Stringham was intentionally walked. Oborn brought in Nelson for the win by stepping up to bat with two men on base and doubling to left center field.
The BYU Cougars lost to the Fresno State Bulldogs 8-5 in the third round of Western Athletic Conference baseball playoffs in San Diego.
The Cougars got off to a slow start in the game, by allowing the Bulldogs to score one run. Pitching for the Cougars in the first inning was sophomore Mica Mangrum who walked the first batter of the inning. The Cougars were able to stop the Bulldogs with one run, which was earned by an error on the Cougar catcher.
The Bulldogs were able to hold the Cougars scoreless for five innings. Freshman Spencer Oborn lead the Cougars with a 5-run rally in the top of the sixth inning. The pitching for the Bulldogs got wild and pegged junior Troy Farnsworth and sophomore David Decker.
Senior D.G. Nelson came to bat with the bases loaded and was walked by pitcher Adam Pettyjohn. Nelson with the walk was able to bring in one Cougar runner for the first run of the game for the Cougars. Decker came to bat and was hit by a pitch, and once again the bases were loaded. Junior Brad Winget came to bat, and hit a single to left field, and brought in Farnsworth. Senior Matt Stringham stepped up to bat singled to center field, and two Cougar runners scored, bringing the score to 4-4.
The Bulldogs made a pitching change and brought in Casey Rowe, who struck out sophomore Chris Circuit. It was senior Scott Robinson who stepped up to bat with outs, and the leading runs on base, and hits a single to center field. Robinson’s hit allowed for Winget to score bringing the score to 5-4. Oborn stepped up to bat for the second time in the inning, with two men on base, and popped out to the second base to end the inning with the score with 5-4.
In the top of the fifth inning coach Gary Pullins made a pitching change and brought in junior Jared Jensen. Jensen allowed three Bulldog runs. The Bulldogs held the Cougars scoreless for the rest of the game.
The Rice Owls won the WAC playoffs, beating the San Diego State Aztecs with a score of 11-1. The Owls beat the Cougars in the first round of the playoffs.
