BYU at Utah game 2 box score

SALT LAKE CITY (April 3, 2018)—A cliché-ridden rivalry got another twist Tuesday night when Utah baseball eked out a 4-3 victory over BYU in the Deseret First Duel.

Utah evened the four-game series at a game apiece, improving its record to 7-20, while the Cougars fell to 14-13. The two teams next meet again on April 24 in Provo.

“When the game is on the line and that pitch is on the line you gotta make that play,” BYU coach Mike Littlewood said in reference to several clutch situations.

A three-run homer by Ute Erick Migueles off starter Bo Burrup to right field was the last of three consecutive one-out hits for a 3-1 Ute lead in the fourth frame.

A suicide squeeze bunt play by BYU failed at home in the seventh, nearly hanging Noah Hill out to dry. Hill retreated to third safely where Jarrett Perns advanced and was tagged for out number two.

“We were actually trying to steal two runs,” Littlewood said. “With a good bunt I think we would have gotten two runs out of it. It was a high-risk, high-rewards play and it backfired.”

The unusual continued in the bottom of the seventh when Brian Hsu’s throw to second hit the Utah runner to load the bases, forcing Littlewood to replace reliever Jake Suddreth with Rhett Parkinson.  Parkinson’s first four pitches were balls, giving Utah its 4-3 lead.

Both teams mirrored each other with inning-ending double plays in the first inning. For the Cougars in that frame, Perns extended his hitting streak to 17 games. For the Utes, the double play was more costly as they had two runners on base with one out.

BYU got a two-out single from Hill, then a walk by Brennon Anderson before Perns singled again to plate Hill for a 1-0 lead in the third inning.

After fouling off several pitches with the bases loaded, Hsu stroked a two-out, two-run single to tie the game three-all in the fifth.

The Cougars did complete a couple defensive gems other than the initial double play. Kyle Dean made a sliding catch in left field to end the sixth, preventing a couple of runs. Daniel Schneemann’s glove and arm snuffed out a couple Utes from his shortstop position. In addition, Perns threw out DaShawn Keirsey relaying to Schneemann as he tried to stretch a double into a triple in the eighth.

“I was proud of Bo (Burrup),” Littlewood said. “I thought he did a great job and gave us the innings we needed.”

The Cougars next play Thursday when they host a three-game series against Santa Clara starting at 6 p.m.

Game notes for Utah, Santa Clara

Round two of the Deseret First Duel could be an extension of extra innings as BYU and Utah baseball rematch on Tuesday in Salt Lake City at 6 p.m.

The Cougars, 14-12 overall and 3-6 in the West Coast Conference, won the first meeting against Utah in Provo, 7-6 in the 10th inning. And in their last meeting of 2017, the two teams went 13 innings with Utah winning, 7-6 in Provo.

Both teams are starting lefthanders at Smith’s Ballpark: junior Bo Burrup (1-1, 8.31) who also started the first game against Utah for the Cougars and redshirt freshman Riley Pierce (0-2, 9.00) for the Utes. The two teams are scheduled to play twice more, on April 24 in Provo and on May 8 in Salt Lake City.

The Utes, 6-20 overall and 3-3 in the Pac-12, are fresh off a pair of upsets over No. 1 Oregon State last week.  BYU was up and down last week, out-hitting opponents in a pair of victories and narrowly losing a pair at Pepperdine as it stranded many runners on base.

Among BYU’s top hitters is junior Brock Hale, who raised his batting average from .194 to .343, batting .408 in 18 games for March. Hale’s slugging percentage for the month was .789 and he leads the Cougars with seven home runs.

Following the tilt at Utah, the Cougars return to Provo for WCC action in a three-game series against Santa Clara, starting Thursday at 6 p.m.