SAN FRANCISCO  – After a slow start, James Kannenberg was settling nicely into a mid-innings groove. However, the junior right-hander ran into trouble in a six-run eighth inning that helped give BYU the edge in a 9-3 Dons loss on Saturday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond.
 
Dan James ripped two long singles off the right field wall, while Ross Puskarich stayed hot at the plate by blasting his fifth home run of the year.
 
"It was actually a really good game," said head coach Nino Giarratano. "I guess the score doesn't indicate it because we let the game get away in the eighth."
 
After retiring 15 of 17 batters between the third and seventh, Kannenberg started the eighth trying to hold a 3-3 tie. However, after allowing the first three runners to reach base, Kannenberg was relieved by right-hander Mack Meyer. BYU would reel off five RBI singles in the inning and a run-scoring groundout by Colton Shaver. Kannenberg ended up on the hook for three of the Cougars' six runs in the eighth, while Meyer was responsible for the other three.
 
Kannenberg (6-5) went seven-plus innings in the loss, allowing six runs on six hits, while walking a season-high five and striking out four.
 
"I thought Kannenberg pitched pretty well today," said Giarratano. "I thought he kept them in check. They're a good team. We ran out of gas in the bullpen. Giving up six right there kind of took the air out of us."
 
USF (20-33, 14-13 WCC) had their chances to score, tying their season high with 14 runners left on base.
 
The Dons had runners on first and second with nobody out in the fifth after BYU (34-14, 15-9 WCC) made errors on consecutive plays, but three straight flyouts stranded the runners.
 
"I wish I would have managed a little better in that bottom of the fifth," said Giarratano. "I got a little greedy and just wanted to let our guys hit. I didn't want to just play for one with as good as their offense is. That was our chance to take the momentum."
 
USF was on the verge of striking when they loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first after BYU starter Hayden Rogers left with an apparent injury after facing just four batters, but strikeouts by Blake Valley and Dan James left the bases loaded for the Dons. 
 
Kannenberg fell victim to some control troubles in the second, walking the first two hitters before surrendering RBI singles to Daniel Schneemann and Brennon Lund and walking in a run, but Kannenberg's defense picked him up with a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the inning. 
 
Blake Valley drove in the first USF run with an RBI groundout with runners on first and third in the third.
 
Puskarich tied the game at 3-3 when he led off the fifth with his solo blast to left off BYU reliever Bo Burrup, his second home run of the series.
 
"I'm proud of the kids," said Giarratano, whose team has just a three-game nonconference series at Fresno State remaining. "I'm proud of how they battled. We need to regroup and get a little better by two or three games and we'll be right in this conference race (next year)."
      
Shortstop Nico Giarratano drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and turned in a highlight reel play in the sixth to rob Shaver of a base hit up the middle. Giarratano ranged to his left, slid to scoop up the ground ball and fired from his knee to first all in one motion to get the out.
 
Frank Waliczek and Joey Carney teamed to throw a scoreless ninth, each recording a strikeout.
 
Keaton Cenatiempo (2-1) was the winner for BYU, tossing a scoreless five innings in relief while surrendering two hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts.
 
Lund and Bronson Larsen each tallied two RBI to lead the Cougars at the plate, while Schneemann had two hits and a pair of runs scored.
 
 
NOTES: 1B Ross Puskarich extended his hitting streak to a team-best 14 games… Puskarich has recorded an RBI in each of his past six games… SS Nico Giarratano has hit safely in his last eight games… the Dons wrap up WCC play for the season, while every other team except LMU has one more weekend of conference games to play… the Dons entered the day in 5^th place, one game ahead of LMU, who is playing Gonzaga this weekend.
 
UP NEXT: The Dons travel to Fresno State for their final series of the regular season next week. The first two games of the series on Thursday and Friday will be at 6:05 p.m. with the series finale on Saturday slated for a 2:05 p.m. first pitch. All of the weekend action in Fresno can be followed via live stats on GoBulldogs.com, a live video stream on the Mountain West Network and a radio broadcast on 940 AM ESPN in the Central Valley.