CORAL GABLES, Fla. — BYU baseball suffered a 6-4 loss to Miami in game two of the weekend series at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field on Friday night.
The Cougars kept the Hurricanes off the scoreboard and allowed just one runner to reach base through the first three innings in a 0-0 tie. Miami struck first with two runs in the bottom of the fourth but BYU answered with a run of its own in the top of the fifth to close the gap 2-1.
A grand slam in the bottom half of the fifth gave the Hurricans a 6-1 lead. BYU countered with three runs late but fell short of the comeback.
Bryce Robison (2-6) took the loss as the Cougars fall to 17-26 on the season.
Player Highlights
- Kuhio Aloy: 3-3, Walk
- Cooper Vest: 1-4, Run, RBI, Double
- Crew McChesney: 1-4, Run
BYU put two runners in scoring position in the top of the fourth but came up empty with a runner caught stealing and a strikeout. Miami started the scoring in the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot over the centerfield wall for a 1-0 lead. The lead increased to 2-0 a few moments later when a single, a stolen base and another single scored another run.
The Cougars got on the board in the top of the fifth as Crew McChesney opened the inning with a base hit and advanced to second on an error by the shortstop. McChesney quickly stole third then took advantage of a Miami wild pitch to score and cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Hurricanes jumped in front for good in the bottom of the fifth with a grand slam that plated a pair of walked batsman and another who had reached on a failed fielder’s choice.
Cooper Vest started the sixth with a stand-up double to right center. The Cougars proceeded to put runners on the corners with a Kuhio Aloy single to center that moved Vest to third where he later scored on another wild pitch to make the score 6-2.
BYU kept the Hurricanes off the board in the bottom of the sixth with a strikeout from Candon Dahle followed by a double play. BYU had runners aboard in the top of the seventh with Crew Robinson and Luke Anderson reaching on consecutive walks. The duo then came home with a hit from Vest combined with a Miami throwing error.
Down 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh, the Cougars kept the score close with another double play and a quick flyout courtesy reliever Carter Foss. Boston Mabeus took the mound for Foss in the bottom of the eighth and again held Miami scoreless; however, BYU came up empty in both the eighth and ninth innings, giving Miami the 6-4 win.
The Cougars and Hurricanes will play the third and final game of the series on Saturday at 12 p.m. EDT. Watch the game live on ACC Network Extra or listen to Greg Wrubell call the gsme on BYU Radio/107.9 FM and the BYU Radio App.