PROVO, Utah (Interstat) — Connor Ross hit a grand slam during a seven-run third inning and the California Baptist Lancers pounded out 16 hits to defeat the BYU Cougars 14-7 on Friday afternoon at Larry H. Miller Field.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded in the evening, was dominated early by the Lancers’ offense. After a scoreless first, California Baptist (13-3) broke through in the second on back-to-back solo home runs from Ben Castelli and Cole Hansen, followed by an RBI single from Cole Howarth and a sacrifice fly from Nathan Ramirez to take a 4-0 lead.

The most important part of the game came in the top of the third inning, when the Lancers sent 11 men to the plate and blew the game open. After a fielding error by BYU first baseman Hansen extended the inning, Ross stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. The third baseman launched a grand slam over the left field wall, capping a seven-run outburst that featured five unearned runs and gave California Baptist an commanding 11-0 advantage. Ross finished 3 for 4 with four RBIs and two runs scored.

BYU (6-7) responded with two runs in the bottom of the second on a two-run homer from designated hitter Cooper Jones and added single runs in the third and fourth innings. The Cougars pulled to within 11-5 after back-to-back solo home runs from Easton Anderson and Crew McNaughton in the fourth.

California Baptist reliever Luis Becerra entered with two outs in the fourth and stifled the BYU rally. He pitched 5 1/3 innings of hitless relief, allowing two earned runs while striking out eight to earn the win. His performance stabilized the game after the Lancers’ early offensive explosion.

The Lancers added insurance runs in the sixth on Castelli’s second homer of the day and an RBI single from Howarth, and again in the seventh on a two-run single from Hansen. Howarth was perfect at the plate, going 4 for 4 with three RBIs. Hansen drove in three runs, while Castelli had two RBIs on his two homers.

Jones led BYU’s 12-hit attack, going 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs. McNaughton and Anderson also homered for the Cougars. BYU relievers Bryant Ball, Brayden Marx and Jaxon Clayton combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, with Clayton striking out three in 1 1/3 perfect frames.

The victory extended California Baptist’s winning streak to four games and gave them a 2-0 series lead after also winning 13-11 on Thursday. BYU has lost three of its last four.

The teams are scheduled to continue their series Saturday afternoon. The Lancers will visit Loyola Marymount on Tuesday, while BYU will host Utah Tech.