BYU at Arizona box score

TUCSON, Arizona (April 17, 2018)—Arizona jumped out to an early lead and rode the arm of Juan Aguilera en route to a 6-1 defeat of BYU baseball on Tuesday night.

Aguilera (5-0) twirled a one-hitter through six innings before surrendering his second hit of the evening as the Wildcats improved their record to 23-12.

A ground-rule double prevented Arizona from getting a second run as it took a 1-0 lead into the second inning.

Cougar starter Jordan Wood gathered momentum in the second frame with a pair of strikeouts and catcher David Clawson pegged the inning-ending out on a delayed steal to second. That momentum was short-lived as Arizona built a 6-0 lead through three-plus innings.

The Cougar offense sputtered. Aguilera beaned Mitch McIntyre to start the third, but the Cougar freshman tried to steal second to no avail. A double play erased Brennon Anderson’s leadoff single in the fourth.

Reliever Rhett Parkinson got out of a jam with Wildcats on second and third, fanning his third Arizona batter in as many innings to end the sixth frame.

When McIntyre got a one-out single and Jarrett Perns drew a base on balls in the eighth from the Wildcats’ first reliever, it set the table for Anderson’s second single of the night. That single to left field plated McIntyre.

The Cougars, now 18-16, take a break for final exams before hosting Utah on Tuesday.

BYU at Arizona Game Notes

Only Tuesday’s game at Arizona is on BYU baseball’s slate this week as it prepares for final exams. 

The Cougars, 18-15, are hosted by Arizona, 22-12, in a game on Tuesday at 6 p.m. MST (7 p.m. MDT) which will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.

“It’s obvious we've had our ups and downs the first 30 games of the season, but a win in Tucson could really give our team the confidence boost we need to finish the season strong,” BYU coach Mike Littlewood said.

The Cougars remain one of the top doubles teams in the NCAA, ranked No. 7 with 2.39 two-baggers per game. The Wildcats are one of the top triples teams in the nation, ranked No. 13 with 0.38 three-baggers per game.

Next Tuesday, BYU continues its play against another Pac-12 opponent when it hosts Utah.