BYU baseball rolls Utah Tech 19-2

PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball got off to an early lead and cruised to a 19-2 win over Utah Tech at Miller Park on Tuesday afternoon.

“It was a great game for us in all aspects,” said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. “Our guys pounded the zone and threw a lot of strikes. We were patient at the plate and swung at pitches in the strike zone. That was the big thing. We’ll have a good practice tomorrow and then play a real good Cincinnati team this weekend.”

BYU (7-8) scored 19 runs off 22 hits including six home runs. While Utah Tech (13-4) had two runs on five hits, scoring both runs in the ninth inning. BYU struck first with one run in the first inning before exploding for eight runs in the second and never looked back. 

Ryker Schow and Ryder Robinson each had two home runs, while McNaughton and Hurdsman accounted for the other two blasts.

Highlights
Schow 4-5, 2R, 6RBI, 2HR
Robinson 4-5, 3R, 3RBI, 2HR
McNaughton 2-4 2R, 3RBI, HR
Hurdsman 2-3, 2R, RBI, HR

Summary
BYU starter Austin Park held the Trail Blazers scoreless in the top of the first inning, then Ryder Robinson hit a solo homerun to deep right field in the bottom half to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead.

After the Trail Blazers went quietly 1-2-3 in the second inning, the Cougars got things going in the bottom of the frame with a single from Bryker Hurdsman, followed by a walk from Easton Jones. Schow’s single to left field brought Hurdsman home and advanced Easton Jones to second base. Park then got an RBI single that scored Jones and advancing Schow to third. Luke Anderson kept things rolling for the Cougars, hitting a single to left that allowed both Skow and Park to score, pushing the Cougar lead to 6-0. 

McNaughten then doubled allowing Anderson to score. Robinson followed with an RBI triple sending McNaughton home. Another RBI single by Crew McChesney allowed Robinson to score  and Hurdsman, who led off the inning, closed out the Cougar scoring on a two-run home run over the centerfield wall giving BYU a 9-0 lead.

In the third, BYU added to its lead with a Schow single and a McNaughton homer to deep centerfield, increasing the Cougar lead to 11-0.

BYU struck again in the fourth inning when Easton Jones walked, and Skow homered widening the margin to 13-0.

Robinson pushed BYU's consecutive scoring innings to five, with his second homerun of the afternoon, this one over the left field scoreboard to put BYU up 14-0.

Utah Tech showed some life loading the bases with two outs in the sixth inning but a pop-fly to centerfield stranded three runners, keeping the Trail Blazers scoreless. After Keoni Painter singled in the bottom of the inning, a double from Patrick Graham sent Painter to third. Schow then hit his second bomb of the night pushing the Cougars lead to 17-0.

The Cougars picked up two more runs in the seventh inning. Tu’alau Wolfgramm singled to left field to lead off the inning. After Parker Goff was hit by a pitch, an RBI single by Keoni Painter sent Wolfgramm home and Goff to third. A sacrifice fly by Graham scored Goff and gave BYU a 19-0 lead.

After a scoreless eighth inning, Utah Tech scored its only runs of the game in the ninth off a walk and two singles for a final score of 19-2.  

Up Next
BYU opens Big 12 play at home in a three-game home series with Cincinnati, March 12-14. The first game is scheduled for Thursday at 3:00 p.m. MT at Miller Park. Streaming will be available on ESPN+ with radio coverage on BYUradio and on the BYUradio app.