By Brett Larsen
Pouring rain and a soggy field didn”t stop the BYU baseball team from taking two out of three games from defending conference champion San Diego State over the weekend.
Originally scheduled to face the Aztecs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Cougars got a change of plans as stormy weather pushed the opener back a day.
When Mother Nature let the teams take the field for a doubleheader on Friday, San Diego State struck first, winning the first game 7-5. The Aztecs got help from Sean Pierce, who hit two homers off BYU starter Nate Fernley en route to snapping the Cougar pitcher”s six-game unbeaten streak.
In Friday”s second game, BYU”s Matt Carson got his team rolling early with a two-run homer in the first inning. Seven innings later, the game was called for the day with the Cougars leading 5-4.
Again the rain stepped in, delaying the continuation of game 2 on Saturday. After four hours of waiting for the weather to pass, BYU”s Scott Koffman stepped to the mound and retired six of seven Aztec batters to preserve the win for the Cougars, his first save of the season.
The Cougars got out to a quick start in game 3 also, with Carson and Jeff Hiestand knocking homers in the fifth and second innings, and held on the rest of the way for an 8-5 victory.
BYU is now 12-10 overall and 4-2 in the Mountain West Conference. The Cougars return home this week to play Mesa State on Thursday and Friday. The games will be played at UVSC due to the ongoing construction at Miller Park.
