BYU erupts to throttle Air Force

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Apr 26, 2008

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Jake Wortham twirled a five-hit shutout

Friday, going the distance in BYU's 22-0 baseball victory over the Air Force Academy.

Wortham evened his record at 3-3, retiring 14 straight before surrendering a double in the ninth inning as the Cougars snapped a five-game losing streak. The junior southpaw from Allen, Texas, also recorded nine strikeouts, no walks and retired the side in order in the third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings.

BYU, now 16-25 overall and 6-8 in the Mountain West Conference, avenged Thursday's 13-9 loss to the Falcons, which was the first victory in 55 league games for AFA.

"It was a great performance," said BYU Coach Vance Law. "We were

struggling more on the mound than any place. For Jake to throw a shutout in these conditions and not fall behind was good and it was the best game he has had all year."

BYU exploded to a 6-0 lead in the first inning. Sean McNaughton hit a lead-off homer in the first over the rightfield fence. Kent Walton doubled and scored on an RBI single by Kasey Ko. Steve Parker doubled, advancing Ko to third before Michael Bowen hit a three-run homer, thanks to the rightfield wind.

Then J.C. Leach, who went six-for-six, took a turn at going over the fence.

=93Today felt great,=94 said Leach, who was one of three subs that started the game and combined for a 12-for-15 performance with five homers. =93I've been seeing the ball better and took advantage of the way the

wind was blowing.=94

When reserve catcher Chad Nacapoy hit a double in the first, the Cougars batted around. Nacapoy belted a two-run homer in the third, followed by a Walton two-RBI double to put BYU up 10-0.

Bowen, a seldom-used transfer from Southern Virginia, hit his second homer of the game to highlight the two-run fourth, as BYU went up 12-0. Parker hit a two-run homer in the fifth to put the Cougars up 14-0.

Bowen doubled in Thomas Bills to highlight the two-run seventh. A McNaughton double and a Leach three-run homer topped the eighth as BYU soared to a 22-0 lead.

The Cougars close their series against AFA, now 14-25 and 1-12, on Saturday at noon in a game broadcast live via both KSRR Radio (1400 AM) locally and on the Internet through BYU Radio.