Cougars fall in Utah series finale, 11-5

PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball dropped the final game of a four-game series against in-state rival Utah 11-5 at Miller Park on Tuesday.

“It's obviously tough to overcome an early deficit,” said BYU head coach Mike Littlewood. “We made some errors early that really hut us, but we kept fighting. I'm proud of our guys for that.”

Led by three homers—a three-run shot and two solo home runs—the Utes plated 10 runs in the first four innings to lead by double digits early. 

BYU got on the board twice in the fourth to cut the Utes’ lead to 10-2. After a leadoff double by Joshua Cowden, a Peyton Cole groundout advanced him to third. Cowden scored as Freddy Achecar tripled down the right field line, and Achecar made it home on a Cooper Vest groundout. 

A leadoff walk and two-straight singles by the Utah scored another run in the fifth inning, giving Utah an 11-2 lead. 

Andrew Pintar and Cowden both singled in the fifth as the Cougars threatened with two runners in scoring position and two outs. Achecar brought them home with a single up the middle, making it 11-4 through five. 

The Cougars made it 11-5 in the seventh inning when Cowden singled again and scored on a Cole double to left center.

In the ninth, the BYU side was retired in order and Utah clinched the season series with the win.

Player Notes

• Joshua Cowden: 3-5, 3 R
• Freddy Achecar: 3-5, 1 R, 2 RBI

The Cougars will host Pepperdine at Miller Park in the final series of the 2021 baseball season on Thursday-Saturday, March 20-22. Games one and two are scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT, with the Saturday afternoon finale set to begin at 1 p.m. MDT.

The series will be broadcast live on the BYUtv App. Audio broadcasts will also be available on the BYU Sports Network—BYU Radio FM 107.9, BYUCougars.com and the BYU Cougars app. Ticket information can be found at BYUtickets.com.