BYU Defeats UVU 5-4 in Home Opener

PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball came from behind early and used strong pitching to defeat UVU 5-4 on Tuesday at Miller Field in the Cougars’ home opener.

"It wasn't the start Tyson Heaton wanted, but everyone picked him up and I'm really proud of those guys," BYU head coach Mike Littlewood. "This is an exciting team. Sometimes it'll be frustrating to watch these young guys as they go through their battles at this level, but they're working their tails off and I think we'll continue to see them get better and better."

Box Score

Game Summary

• Down 4-1 going into the second, BYU tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Mitch McIntyre and Brock Watkins scored off an RBI single by Austin Deming.
• With the score tied at four heading into the fifth, Peyton Cole drew a walk with the bases loaded to send Deming home and give the Cougars a 5-4 lead.
• Six different pitchers threw for BYU and recorded nine total strikeouts; the final five did not allow a run over the last eight innings and the final four did not allow a hit over the last seven innings.

Player Highlights

• Austin Deming: 2-5, 2 RBI, R
• Cooper McKeehan: W (1-0), 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB
• Easton Walker: 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 5 K
• Reid McLaughlin: S (1), 1.0 IP, 0 ER, K

With the game tied at four in the bottom of the fifth, back-to-back singles by Deming and Cutter Clawson followed by a walk by Brock Watkins loaded the bases for the Cougars (7-6) with two outs. BYU then took a 5-4 lead after Peyton Cole drew a walk, sending Deming home for the game-winning run.

UVU (3-10) opened the game with a five-hit first inning, recording a pair of 2-RBI singles to take a 4-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the first, following a walk and a wild pitch, Hayden Leatham singled up the middle to drive in Andrew Pintar and put BYU on the scoreboard, 4-1.  

The Cougars loaded the bases in the second following three walks before a single by Pintar to shallow left sent Valdez home and brought BYU within two, 4-2. With the bases still loaded later in the inning, Deming singled up the middle to bring in Mitch McIntyre and Watkins to tie the game at four.

After Deming scored the game-winning run in the fifth, the Cougar pitching staff held the Wolverines scoreless from innings two through eight. Reid McLaughlin came on the mound in the ninth and retired the side to record the save and seal the 5-4 BYU win.  

In all, six pitchers totaled nine strikeouts for BYU, including a game-best five by Easton Walker.

Up next, BYU hits the road to take on Oklahoma State in a three-game series starting on Thursday, Mar. 5, at 4 p.m. CST. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with audio broadcasts available on BYU Radio and ESPN 960.