Cougars drop senior day matchup with Cincinnati

BYU baseball dropped the final game of its Big 12 series with Cincinnati Bearcats 12-5 at Miller Park on Saturday afternoon.

Crew McChesney coverCrew McChesney cover

PROVO, Utah – BYU baseball dropped the final game of its Big 12 series with Cincinnati Bearcats 12-5 at Miller Park on Saturday afternoon.

Five seniors were honored as part of the senior day festivities before the game: left-handed pitcher Boston Mabeus, left-handed pitcher Mason Olson, infielder Crew Robinson, right-handed pitcher Bryce Robison and infielder Brock Watkins.

Crew McChesney reached base in all five plate appearances with two doubles, two runs scored, an RBI and a walk. Senior lefthander Boston Mabeus entered the game in the eighth inning and faced three batters, retiring all three with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning. 

Player Highlights:

Crew McChesney: 4-4, 2 R, 2 2B, RBI, BB

Crew Robison: 2-4, 2B

Kuhio Aloy: 1-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2B

Boston Mabeus: 1.0 IP, 2 K

Seniors vs CIN-2 2024

Cincinnati opened the scoring in the top of the first with a 2-run homer to take a 2-0 lead. Robison then retired three straight Bearcats to minimize the first-inning damage.

McChesney led off the bottom of the first with a line-drive, stand-up double to left center and was brought around to score by Kuhio Aloy on a one-out double to the same left-center gap. Following back-to-back doubles, Collin Reuter lined a single to right field, scoring Aloy to quickly knot the game a two.

The Bearcats responded with their second home run in as many innings to take a one-run lead in the top of the second. After a single to left, a third round-tripper gave Cincinnati a 5-2 lead with one out in the second.

Ryker Schow led off the bottom half with a stand-up double and moved to third on a Robinson single to right field. With runners at the corners, McChesney singled to right, scoring Schow to draw within two at 5-3.

The Bearcats threatened in the top of the third with runners at first and second before the third strikeout of the day from Robison, which moves him into the top 10 in career strikeouts at BYU. Cincinnati singled to drive in another run before extending the lead to 7-3 by scoring on a wild pitch.

Candon Dahle entered in the top of the fourth and retired the Bearcats in order to bring the Cougars back to the dish.

In the top of the sixth, Cincinnati tacked on a fourth home run of the day to take a 10-3 lead. The Bearcats plated two more runs in the seventh to take a 12-3 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, Chipper Beck roped a one-out single to right before McChesney’s second double of the game to put runners at second and third. Bitner Workman worked a six-pitch walk to load the bases before Aloy grounded out to second, scoring Beck, with McChesney scoring on an error by the shortstop to cut the deficit to 12-5.

On senior day, Mabeus appeared in the eighth inning, retiring the side with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.

McChesney reached base for the fifth time today with a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Workman worked a second-straight walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch to move into scoring position with one out. Reuter worked the third walk of the inning to juice the bases, but the Cougars failed to capitalize, dropping the final game of the series 12-5.

Up Next:

The Cougars will be back in action at Miller Park on Tuesday for a matchup with Grand Canyon with first pitch slated for 6 p.m. MDT.

Senior Highlights:

Boston Mabeus: A left-handed pitcher from Henderson, Nevada and Coronado High School, Boston finishes his career at BYU in the top-10 all-time in career appearances. In 2023, he led BYU in ERA and garnered All-West Coast Conference honors. Boston graduated from BYU with a bachelor's degree in communications and twice earned a spot on the WCC Commissioner’s honor roll list.

Mason Olson: A left-handed pitcher from Spanish Fork, Utah and Spanish Fork High School, Mason came to BYU following a career at the College of Southern Idaho and immediately made an impact on the mound. In 2023, Mason led the Cougars in strikeouts and innings pitched while earning a place on the WCC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Mason’s 2024 season included top-10 Big 12 rankings in five statistical categories, including ERA, fewest hits and fewest runs allowed.

Crew Robinson: An infielder from Cedar Hills, Utah and Lone Peak High School, Crew anchored the Cougars’ infield throughout the 2024 season. Crew recorded over 100 assists from second base to lead BYU in the category and ranked top-5 in the Big 12. With his senior season at BYU following a career at UC San Diego and College of Southern Idaho, Crew finishes his collegiate career with more than 170 games started and 100 runs scored.

Bryce Robinson: A right-handed pitcher from Las Vegas, Nevada and Palo Verde High School, Bryce concludes his five years at BYU ranked top-10 all-time in career wins with 24, innings pitched with 277.2 and appearances with 74. He earned All-WCC honors in 2022 and consecutive spots on the WCC Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2021 and 2022. In 2024, Bryce ranks top-10 in the Big 12 in fewest walks allowed. Bryce graduated from BYU with a bachelor's degree in exercise and wellness.

Brock Watkins: An infielder from Pleasant Grove, Utah and Pleasant Grove High School, Brock finishes his BYU career ranked top-75 in school history with over 150 games played. In 2022, the four-year starter led BYU in seven offensive categories, including runs, hits and home runs on his way to finishing the season with All-WCC honors. Brock’s career includes more than 80 runs scored, 130 hits and 80 RBI. He graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and wellness.