CORAL GABLES, Fla. — BYU baseball opened its weekend series at Miami with a 3-2 loss in a 12-inning barnburner at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field on Thursday night.
Payton Gubler, Jake Porter, Boston Mabeus and Stone Cushing each took the mound for BYU in game one and combined for 11 strikeouts while stranding 10 Miami runners on base. Despite a strong Cougar pitching performances and pair of solo home runs by Brock Watkins and Kuhio Aloy, Miami secured the 3-2 win with a walk-off base hit in the bottom of the 12th.
“We pitched really well tonight,” said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. “We had a lot of chances but we just didn’t get the big hit we needed. We were one big hit away.”
With the loss, BYU goes to 17-25 on the season and 11-7 in nonconference play, while Miami moves to 20-24.
Player Highlights
- Kuhio Aloy: 3-5, Run, RBI, HR
- Brock Watkins: 1-5, Run, RBI, HR
- Payton Gubler: 5 IP, 3 Ks
The Hurricanes started the scoring early when leadoff batter Jacoby Long tripled to open the game and scored moments later on a groundout to short for 1-0 lead.
Watkins tied the game in the top of the fourth with a solo shot over the centerfield wall that gave the senior shortstop his 15th career home run.
With the score still knotted at 1-1, Porter took the hill in the sixth, replacing Gubler following a career long outing of 5.0 innings. Miami scored a run on one hit in the sixth to take a 2-1 lead before Porter ended the threat with a strikeout that stranded two.
After scoreless innnings in the seventh and eighth, Kuhio Aloy led-off the ninth for BYU with a blast over the left field wall to tie the game 2-2. Singles from Parker Goff and Schow, along with a walk from Luke Anderson loaded the bases but Miami ended the threat with a strikeout to strand all three.
Mabeus and Cushing kept the Hurricanes off the board in the bottom of the ninth with a strikeout and two groundouts. Cushing went on to record two strikeouts in extras before Miami scored the game winner in the bottom of the 12th for a 3-2 final.
The Cougars and Hurricanes will play game two of the three-game series on Friday at 7 p.m. EDT. Watch live on ACC Network Extra or listen to Greg Wrubell call the gsme on BYU Radio/107.9 FM and the BYU Radio App.