PROVO, Utah – Jacob Wilk hit a walk-off line drive off the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth, scoring Hunter Swapp from second as BYU defeated Portland 1-0 in game two of the three-game series on Friday.
With the game tied 0-0, Bryan Call lead off the bottom of the ninth for the Cougars with a walk. Hunter Swapp was then put in to pinch run for Call. A Portland error advanced Swapp to second and put McIntyre on first with nobody out, setting up the late-game heroics by Wilk.
"We really needed this win tonight," said Wilk. "I love the brotherhood on this team. We just kept fighting and trying to pick each other up. It was a big win for us."
Pilot pitchers Christian Peters, Peter Allegro and Eli Morris kept the Cougar bats quiet throughout the night, surrendering just three hits.
BYU’s pitching was equally impressive scattering eight hits while holding the Pilots scoreless. Cougar starter Jack Sterner went 4.1 innings allowing six hits while recording three strikeouts. Carter Smith came on in relief surrendering just one hit over three innings before handing the ball over to closer Reid McLaughlin who went 1.2 innings for his second win of the year.
"It felt like a must win game," said BYU head coach Mike Littlewood. "We had a lot of really good at bats tonight and pushed their starter deep into counts. The way he was pitching that was really important. It thought it was a great college baseball game and I'm proud of the way our guys kept battling and found a way to win."
Player Notes
- Sterner: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 K
- Smith: 3 IP, 1 H, 4 K
- McLaughlin: 1.2 IP, 1 H, Win (2-0)
- Wilk: 4 AB, 1 H, 1 RBI
The Cougars (10-16) face the Pilots (15-14) in the third and final game of the series at Miller Park on Saturday at 1 p.m. MDT with live coverage on BYUtv and the BYUtv app. Audio will be available on the BYU Sports Network – BYU Radio FM 107.9, BYUCougars.com and the BYU Cougars app.