PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball captured its first Big 12 series win with a 10-8 victory over Houston on Saturday afternoon at Miller Park in the final game of the three-game series.
BYU improved to 9-8 on the year and 3-3 in Big 12 play with the 2-1 series win, while Houston dropped to 12-6 (4-2). Houston had not lost a three-game series since falling to Oklahoma in March 2023.
“It really was a team win,” said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. “You look up and down the lineup and everyone did something. Sometimes little things don’t always show up on the box score, but everyone did something to win today.”
Houston registered baserunners in every inning, tallying 13 hits as BYU claimed the win with each team recording 13 hits.
Player Highlights
- Crew Robinson: 3-4, 3 runs, 4 RBI, 2B, 3B, HR
- Easton Jones: 1-4, RBI, HR
- Kuhio Aloy: 3-4, 2 RBI
Houston took an early lead, scoring two-run homers in both the second and third innings to go up 4-1. BYU’s first score came in the second inning with a runner on third and no outs as Chipper Beck hit a ground ball to the shortstop, allowing Crew Robinson to score.
The home Cougars responded in the bottom of the third with two right-field home runs. Jones led off with a solo blast, followed by Robinson’s left-handed long ball that scored Collin Reuter.
In the fourth inning, Luke Anderson walked then advanced to third on a ground ball and later scored on a Kuhio Aloy sacrifice fly as BYU took its first lead, 5-4.
After scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth, Beck singled up the middle with bases loaded in the seventh to bring home Reuter who had singled and Painter who had been hit by a pitch. Ryker Schow's perfect bunt loaded the bases again and Luke Anderson's sacrifice fly to right field scored Robinson for a BYU 8-4 lead.
Houston responded in the top of the eighth with three runs to cut the lead to 8-7. The home Cougars then answered with two more runs in the top of the eight to extend its lead to 10-7.
Aloy singled to shortstop to lead off the eighth and Reuter walked. Robinson then tripled to right field as Reuter and Bitner Workman, who was pinch running for Aloy, scored.
A walk and double gave Houston a run in the top of the night, but relief pitcher Stone Cushing got Houston to ground out to Jones at third base to end the game and preserve the 10-8 victory.
Up Next
The Cougars will travel to St. George, Utah for a single non-conference game at Utah Tech on Tuesday, March 19 at 6:05 p.m. MDT. The game will be broadcast live on the BYU Radio App and BYU Radio 107.9 in the local market.