ALBUQUERQUE – BYU baseball closed out its four-game series at New Mexico with a 12-1 loss on Saturday.

Box Score

Game Summary

• A day after exploding for 18 runs, BYU's offense was held to three hits
• Freshman Cutter Clawson hit a solo home run, the first homer of his career
• The Cougars are 2-3 all-time on Leap Day

Player Highlights

• Cutter Clawson: 1-3, HR, R, RBI
• Brock Watkins: 2-3

A four-run third inning gave New Mexico a comfortable 5-0 lead behind four singles, a sac fly and a Cougar throwing error.

Cutter Clawson hit a solo shot to lead off the fifth, but the Lobos tacked on two more in the bottom of the inning for a 7-1 lead.

Four errors and 13 hits allowed did not help BYU, as New Mexico scored five more runs in the late innings, three unearned, to pull away.

Brock Watkins added the other two hits for the Cougars, giving the freshman five hits in the last three games.

BYU's next game will be the Cougars' home opener on Tuesday, Mar. 3, at 5 p.m. MT against Utah Valley. The first 200 fans will receive a free t-shirt and $1 hot chocolate will be sold. The game will stream on the BYUtv app with audio on BYU Radio and ESPN 960.

PROVO – BYU baseball will go on the road for week three to play a four-game series at New Mexico in Albuquerque from Feb. 27-29.

Game one will be Thursday at 3 p.m. MT. On Friday, a doubleheader will begin at noon MT; the two team's will then play a final game at noon MT on Saturday.

Game Notes

The Cougars are coming off a series with Cal Poly last week that saw BYU take three of four games from the Mustangs. BYU now has a record of 5-3 and is receiving votes in the latest NCBWA and Coaches polls.

Two of those three losses have come to the Lobos. Two weeks ago, BYU lost both games of a doubleheader to New Mexico in Surprise, Ariz., by scores of 2-0 and 5-4. 

This will be BYU’s first trip to Albuquerque since playing a three-game series as Mountain West Conference foes in 2010. New Mexico is currently 5-2 on the year after sweeping three most recently against Northern Colorado.

For the Cougars, freshman Andrew Pintar and sophomore Bryan Call lead the team with .286 batting averages. On the mound, BYU will start junior Justin Sterner (0-0, 0.75 ERA) on Thursday; Sterner has 14 strikeouts and just one earned run in 12 innings. Friday starters will be freshman Cy Nielson (0-1, 4.15) and senior Jarod Lessar (0-0, 1.93) while junior Easton Walker (0-1, 5.40) will start game four.

Another seven Cougar pitchers have thrown at least one inning without allowing an earned run, led by freshman Bryce Robison who has made three appearances and pitched 6.2 innings.