PROVO, Utah – A five-run third inning was enough to give BYU baseball an 8-5 victory over visiting Utah Tech at Miller Park on Tuesday. Center fielder Cole Gambill had two home runs and three RBIs to pace BYU’s 10-hit evening.

Junior Peyton Cole started the game on the hill for the Cougars and earned the win to improve to 2-0 on the season. Ryan Hardman (0-6) took the loss for Utah Tech. BYU is now 12-19 on the year, while Utah Tech falls to 8-24.

“It was a great team effort tonight and it always feels good to win the in-state games,” said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. “We pitched around some jams, our guys swung the bats well and we turned some double plays in key moments. Cougar Nation is awesome. We had a great crowd tonight and really appreciated our fans coming out to support us.”

Game Summary

• Gambill finished the night with a game-high three hits and three runs
• Austin Deming also had a two-run home run for the Cougars as part of the five-run third inning
• Five different pitchers took the hill for BYU, while Utah Tech had seven take the mound
• Neither team registered an error on defense

BYU Highlights

• Cole Gambill: 3-4, 2 HRs 2B, 3 RBI, 3 runs
• Luke Anderson: 2-3, 2 hits, 2 runs, RBI
• Cutter Clawson: 2.1 IP, 4 Ks

BYU struck first in the bottom the first with a two-run home run from Gambill to left field. His shot came on a full count with two outs and also scored Luke Anderson, who walked earlier in the frame.

Utah Tech had a home run of its own in the top of the second inning and added another run in the third to even the score, 2-2. The Cougars then responded in the bottom of the inning with five runs to regain the lead, 7-2.

A single from Anderson brought in Ozzie Pratt, who had doubled to right field. Austin Deming then connected on his eighth home run of the season to add two runs. Tuesday was his first game back after missing the previous 10 with an injury. Hits from Jacob Wilk and Chad Call finished the scoring for the Cougars after Gambill doubled and Cole Vest earned first base with a hit by pitch. Wilk nearly scored on Call’s double as well but was thrown out at home for the final out of the inning.

Utah Tech cut the lead to four in the fifth inning before Gambill’s second homer of the night restored BYU’s advantage to 8-3. The Cougar center fielder went opposite-field from his first shot with a ball over the right field fence for his seventh home run of the season.

The Trailblazers added a run in each of the seventh and eighth innings to cut the BYU lead to 8-5. Utah Tech then loaded the bases in the eighth after the home run, but a 4-6-3 double play got the Cougars out of the inning.

Boston Mabeus came in to close out the game for BYU in the top of the ninth. He struck out all three batters to earn his second save of the season and secure the 8-5 victory.

The Cougars next resume WCC play with a three-game series at Santa Clara, April 13-15. The series is scheduled to be played at Stephen Schott Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

All three games will be broadcast live on the BYU Radio App and BYU Radio 107.9 FM in the northern Utah market, with Greg Wrubell on the call.

PROVO, Utah — Fresh off a weekend series win over San Francisco, BYU baseball is back in action Tuesday, April 11, at Miller Park with an in-state game versus Utah Tech. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT. 

BROADCAST. The game will be broadcast live on the BYU Radio App and BYU Radio 107.9 FM in the northern Utah market, with Greg Wrubell on the call. BYUtv will also broadcast the game on BYUtv App, with Dave McCann and Gary Sheide providing play-by-play and analysis.

SERIES HISTORY. Tuesday’s game will be the 16th meeting between BYU and Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State), and the second of two games between the two schools in 2023. Earlier this year, the Trailblazers scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to come from behind and defeat BYU, 10-9, on March 7 in St. George. 

The Cougars are 12-3 all-time vs Utah Tech, having split a two-game series in both 2022 and 2021. The first baseball game between the two schools was played on March 26, 1953, in a game that ended in a 15-2 BYU victory. 

SERIES BY THE NUMBERS. 
Overall: 12-3 BYU
   H: 9-0 | A: 3-3 | N: 0-0
First Meeting: 3/28/1953 | 15-2 BYU
Last Meeting: 3/7/2023 | 10-9 Utah Tech

UTAH TECH REVIEW. The Trailblazers enter Tuesday’s game with an 8-23 overall record having dropped a three-game series over the weekend at UT Arlington (7-8, 2-7, 9-11) in Texas, April 6-8. Utah Tech is 1-11 in road games in 2023, with the win coming at California Baptist, 6-1, on April 2. 

COUGAR REWIND. BYU won its second series of the year over the weekend, 2-1, over USF (6-2, 5-15, 15-6) at Miller Park. The Cougars are 11-19 on the year and 7-4 at Miller Park. Prior to the USF series at home over the weekend, BYU had played 19 of its 30 games away from Miller Park. 

HOMETOWN TEAM. Four Cougars played high school baseball in the St. George area, including Austin Deming, Snow Canyon HS (Santa Clara); Luke Anderson, Snow Canyon HS (Santa Clara); Cooper Vest, Dixie HS (St. George) and Payton Gubler, Desert Hills HS (St. George). 

WEEKEND SERIES. Following Tuesday’s game with Utah Tech, the Cougars head to Santa Clara to take on the Broncos in a three-game series at Stephen Schott Stadium, April 13-15. Santa Clara is 16-11 on the year and 6-6 in WCC play. The Broncos are currently tied for fifth in the conference standing, just one game ahead of BYU at 5-7.