BYU vs. Utah Game 1 Box Score

PROVO, Utah – Cam Richins sprinted home on a wild pitch as BYU walked off with a 7-6 win in 10 innings Tuesday in the Deseret First Duel at Larry H. Miller Field.

"We were resilient," BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said. "We executed a bunt and they helped us with pass balls and wild pitches. We'll take it any way we can."

BYU scored its first run in the second, when Kyle Dean skied a sacrifice fly to push across Keaton Kringlen, who led off the frame with a double. Jarrett Perns came up with two runners on and tripled off the left field fence to score two more. Brennon Anderson’s groundout up the middle plated Perns and made it 4-0 for the Cougars.

Utah answered with a pair of runs in the third off BYU starter Bo Burrup, including a solo homer from Rykker Tom. Burrup finished his evening surrendering three hits and two runs through three innings of work. Alex Perron took over mound duties in the fourth.

Kringlen drove in the Cougars’ fifth run with a sacrifice fly to right field in the fifth. Brian Hsu singled and Brock Hale followed with a double to set the table.

Perron pitched two scoreless frames for the Cougars, and Rhett Parkinson came in to match his effort, as BYU took a 5-2 lead into the seventh inning stretch. Another Kringlen sac fly made it a 6-2 lead for BYU.

Drew Zimmerman tossed a perfect seven-pitch eighth for the Cougars and passed the torch in the ninth to Jake Suddreth, who loaded the bases with one out. He hit a batter for a run and allowed two singles for three more and a tie game.

In the bottom of the 10th, Kringlen slapped an infield single to the shortstop. Richins pinch ran for him and went to second on a sacrifice bunt and third on a pass ball.

BYU hosts Gonzaga for a weekend series starting on Thursday. The first game of three will be televised on ESPNU.

BYU vs. Utah, Gonzaga Game Notes

Both BYU and Utah’s baseball teams look to salve wounds from last week as they play on Tuesday in the first of four meetings this season.

The Cougars bring a 9-9 record into the Deseret First Duel against the Utes who are 2-16.  Tuesday’s game is at 6 p.m. MDT and will be televised live on BYUtv as well as broadcast live over ESPN 960 AM and on BYU Radio-Sirius XM 143.

“We need to be even keel and stay the course,” BYU coach Mike Littlewood said.  “The process has proven pretty fruitful over the last five years, so we need to persevere through this.”

Lefthander Bo Burrup (1-0, 14.14) will start for the Cougars against Utah. BYU has won the Duel the past six years and nine of the last 10 times it has been contested in this format. BYU leads the series with the Utes, 244-116-2, with Utah defeating the Cougars in the last meeting, 7-6, in 13 innings in Provo.

That non-league game precedes BYU hosting another fellow defending West Coast Conference tri-champion on Thursday when the Cougars meet Gonzaga in a nationally televised game on ESPNU at 6 p.m. That game with the Bulldogs begins a three-game series and ends an 11-game home stand.

Jordan Wood (1-1, 3.98) will start on the mound for BYU in Thursday's game, followed by Hayden Rogers (2-2, 5.16) on Friday and Blake Inouye (1-2, 7.71) on Saturday.

Gonzaga brings a 2-1 league record into Thursday’s game, which is a rematch of an ESPNU telecast last season in which the Bulldogs won 6-2 in Spokane. The announcers for the ESPNU telecast are Roxy Bernstein and Wes Clements who also called last season’s game. Friday’s game at 6 p.m., and Saturday’s game at 1 p.m., will both be televised live by BYUtv.

BYU is 0-3 in the WCC after being swept last week in Provo by league co-leader Loyola Marymount.