MANHATTAN, Kan. — BYU baseball suffered another close loss to Kansas State in a 2-1 decision on Friday night at Tointon Family Stadium.
The Wildcats scored the game’s opening run in the bottom of the first before the Cougars squared the game 1-1 in the second with a home run from Parker Goff. Kansas State put one more run on the board in the bottom of the third and hung on to win as both team's pitching and defenses clamped down over the final six innings.
Ben Hansen (5-7) took the loss for BYU surrendering just two runs over six innings, while striking out two and allowing a single walk. Hansen recorded one of the plays of the night as he got the Cougars out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the third with a no-look, back-handed snag of a liner to the mound.
Luke Sterner and Boston Mabeus pitched the seventh and eighth innings recording five quick flyouts to keep BYU’s hopes alive headed into the ninth.
Goff notched the Cougars’ lone run of the night with a solo shot over the leftfield wall in the bottom of the second.
BYU’s one run came on five hits while Kansas State plated two on six hits.
The Cougars and Wildcats will conclude the regular season with game three of the Big 12 series on Saturday at Tointon Family Stadium with gametime set for 4 p.m. CDT (3 p.m. MDT). Watch game two on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ or listen to live play-by-play on BYU Radio 107.9 FM/BYU Radio.org and the BYU Radio app.