PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball scored eight runs on 10 hits to defeat Abilene Christian, 8-6, on Monday at Miller Park. The victory marked the first ever meeting in any sport between the schools.
Pitcher Stone Cushing closed the game, recording his eighth save of the year to take sole possession of Big 12 saves leader in 2024. The junior’s save tally is now tied for seventh in the nation.
“I like how our guys came out to play today,” said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. “I thought our bats were really good and we had a couple of big two-out hits. Overall, it was a pretty good game. These guys are resilient and they want to play hard.”
The Cougars improved to 17-24 (6-18 Big 12) on the year, while the loss dropped the Wildcats to 27-18 (14-7 WAC). Abilene Christian registered six runs on 10 hits. Neither team had a home run.
Player Highlights
- Brock Watkins: 1-2, 2 Runs, RBI
- Easton Jones: 2-4, 2 RBI
- Luke Anderson: 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 Run, 2B
The Cougars got on the board first with two runs in the bottom of the second inning. A walk by Brock Watkins led to the junior capitalizing on an error, advancing to third. Parker Goff’s single to left field scored Watkins as another single and walk set up Goff’s score on a wild pitch.
BYU racked up three more runs in the fourth inning on two hits for a 5-0 advantage. Watkins got things started with a single to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Ryker Schow then walked and Crew McChesney was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Luke Anderson then reached first base on a fielder's choice, driving in a run as Watkins crossed the plate. Easton Jones then batted in Anderson and Schow on a single to center field.
The fifth also saw three runs for BYU as Cooper Vest singled to second and Kuhio Aloy then drilled a single to left field. A flyout by Watkins scored Vest. Later with the bases loaded, Anderson doubled to left as Schow and Aloy scored, giving the Cougars a commanding 8-0 lead. A fly out left three runners on base to close out the inning.
Abilene Christian came roaring back with momentum in the top of the sixth, recording six hits and six runs with only one out before two strikeouts wrapped up the inning. After an early groundout, nine consecutive Wildcat batters reached.
Both teams went scoreless in the seventh. Boston Mabeus pitched two strikeouts to help keep the Wildcats at bay in the top of the eighth.
With the score still at 8-6 in the top of the ninth, Cushing pitched two straight strikeouts to seal the win.
Up Next
The Cougars will travel to Coral Gables, Florida for a series with Miami at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. Game one will be on Thursday, May 2 at 5 p.m. MDT and will be broadcast live on the BYU Radio App, BYUradio.org and 107.9 FM in the local market with the Voice of the Cougars, Greg Wrubell, on play-by-play. The game will also be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.