HOUSTON — BYU baseball defeated Houston 6-1 Saturday at Schroeder Park to sweep its first Big 12 three-game series. Right fielder Bryker Hurdsman went 2-for-4 with three RBI to pace the Cougar offense, while righty reliever Nate Gray picked up his conference leading sixth win of the year.
BYU (18-16, 8-7) scored six runs on nine hits while leaving just three runners on base, while Houston (16-18, 3-12) had one run on eight hits while stranding eight runners.
“It was a great weekend for our baseball team,” said BYU head baseball coach Trent Pratt. “Our pitchers did a great job of throwing strikes and making Hoston hit. Our defense was also great today, like they were in the first two games. We also got several big hits in key moments from the offense, like Hurdsman’s two-out single in the sixth that broke the game open for us. We just played great team baseball.”
Highlights
Bryker Hurdsman: 2-4, 3RBI
Luke Anderson: 2-4, RBI, 2Runs
Ryder Robinson: 2-4, Run, 2B
Easton Jones: 1-3, Run, RBI, 2B, BB
Cayson Bell: 4.1 IP, 2SO
Nate Gray: 2.2 IP, Win, No Runs, 2SO
Summary
BYU got on the scoreboard first in the top of the second inning. Tu’alau Wolfgramm led off the innings with a double, and stole third base on the next pitch. Bryker Hurdsman then drove in Wolfgramm with an infield groundball for the early 1-0 lead.
Houston tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third with a leadoff home run by third baseman Jackson LaLima.
After scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth, BYU untied the ballgame in the top of the sixth. Luke Anderson led off the inning with a single down the leftfield line and moved to second on a single to center by Ryder Robinson. Easton Jones then doubled to right center to score Anderson and move Robinson to third. With two outs, Hurdsman singled to right field to score both runners and push the BYU lead to 4-1.
BYU picked up an insurance run in the seventh on an Anderson home run to left field and another one in the ninth off another solo blast down the left field line by Keoni Painter for the 6-1 win.
Cayson Bell got BYU off to a great start on the mound, going 4.1 innings while scattering six hits and surrendering just one run. Nate Gray came on in relief, going 2.2 innings with no earned runs for the win, his sixth on the year. Gray is now tied for the Big 12 lead in wins.
Dan Brousseau and Tyler Ball combined to hold UH hitless in the eighth and ninth innings to close out the win. Houston had runners on base in each of the first eight innings on Saturday, but the BYU defense turned four double plays to keep UH from scoring.
Up Next
BYU will remain in Texas and travel east from Houston to Beaumont to take on Lamar on Monday, April 13 at 6:05 p.m. CT at Vincent-Beck Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and on the BYU Radio app, BYUradio.org, SiriusXM 143 and 107.9 FM in Utah County.