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.

PROVO – BYU baseball will play at home for the first time this season on Tuesday, Mar. 3, as the Cougars host Utah Valley at Miller Field.

The game will start at 5 p.m. MT and will stream on the BYUtv app with audio on BYU Radio 107.9 FM and ESPN 960 AM. The first 200 fans will receive a free t-shirt and $1 hot chocolate will be available.

Game Notes

Tuesday will mark the 39th game for BYU and UVU and the first of two games this season. The Cougars have won the last eight contests, the longest winning streak in the series’ history, and 13 of the last 14 dating back to 2014. Last season, BYU won 5-1 in Provo and then squeaked out a wild 14-13 victory in 10 innings in Orem. 

BYU freshman RHP Tyson Heaton (2-0, 3.86) will start for the first time in his Cougar career. In five appearances, Heaton has gone 9.1 innings with eight strikeouts, three walks, and four earned runs, earning wins against Cal Poly and New Mexico.

BYU (6-6) is 52-8 in home openers since 1960. This is the fifth time the Cougars have played the Wolverines (3-9) in their home opener, having also done so in 2016, 2008 and 2005. BYU has won six of its last seven home openers, losing only in 2017. This is the earliest home opener since playing Portland on Feb. 26, 2009 and the sixth-earliest home opener since 1960.

Freshman Andrew Pintar leads the team with a .326 average among players with 20 or more at bats. The freshman also leads BYU with 14 hits, 10 runs and three doubles. On the mound, freshman Bryce Robison leads the team with a 1.86 ERA among pitchers with five innings pitched or more. Junior Justin Sterner leads the team with 19 strikeouts.