Cougars fall in rubber match of Utah series

PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball dropped game-three of its Big 12 series with Utah, 8-3, Saturday afternoon at Miller Park. 

“I thought Nate Gray pitched really well today,” head coach Trent Pratt said. “The top of our lineup was hitting but some of the other guys were putting a little bit too much pressure on themselves. Utah swung the bat and played great defensively, so you have to tip your hat to them.” 

The Cougars (23-23, 12-12) were outhit by Utes (23-19, 11-13) 14-8 in the loss. BYU left eight runners on base, and Utah had nine runners left on.

Highlights
Bryker Hurdsman: 3-4, 2B, Run
Crew McChesney: 2-3, HR, RBI, Run, BB
Ezra McNaughton: 1-4, HR, RBI, Run
Ryder Robinson: 1-3, 2B, BB
Nate Gray: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 8 SO

Summary

Just like game two of the series, Utah scored in the top of the first for a 1-0 lead. After surrendering a run on single up the middle, starter Cayson Bell got out of the jam by forcing a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat. 

Bryker Hurdsman smoked a double off the wall to start the bottom of the second and scored on a groundout up the middle to knot up the game at one apiece. 

The Utes retook the lead in the top of the third after stringing together five runs in as many hits. A three-run homer run with two outs gave the Utes a 6-1 advantage. 

Utah kept the gas on in the fourth, cashing in an additional run on three base knocks to make it 7-1. 

Ezra McNaughton, BYU’s leading hitter, got a run back with a solo homer over the left-center field wall in the bottom of the fifth. McNaughton’s 13th home run of the season shrunk the deficit to five at 7-2. 

The Utes put a run on the board in the eighth with an RBI-double down the right field line to push the lead back to six. In the bottom of the frame, Crew McChesney hit his seventh home run of the season over the right-center wall to shrink the lead to 8-3. 

Neither team scored in the ninth, giving Utah the 8-3 win. 

Up Next
BYU heads to Vegas for a non-conference matchup with former conference foe UNLV at Earl E. Wilson Stadium on Tuesday, May 5 at 6:05 p.m. PT. The live broadcast will be on Mountain West Network, with radio coverage on BYU Radio app, BYUradio.org, SiriusXM 143 and 107.9 FM in Utah County.