SALT LAKE CITY – Despite a closely contested game, BYU baseball fell 6-3 to the University of Utah at Smith’s Ballpark Thursday, in game one of a three-game weekend series. 

“I thought we did a real good job at the plate tonight,” BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said. “We hit balls harder than we have all season, had some really good at bats and got some key hits. We also got good starting pitching and played pretty solid defense.” 

Player Highlights: 
Mitch McIntyre: 3-4, 2RBI, 2B, 3B, BB
Abraham Valdez: 1-3, 2R, 2B, BB
Easton Walker: 4.0 IP, 0ER, 7K

After no scoring through three innings, the Utes got on the board first in the bottom of the fourth inning to go up 1-0. BYU quickly answered back in the top of the fifth. Valdez opened the inning with a double to left center and McIntyre backed it up with another double to bring in Valdez, evening the score at 1-1.

BYU tacked on another in the top of the seventh frame to take the lead at 2-1. A double from Peyton Cole put the Cougars in scoring position and back-to-back walks for Andrew Pintar and McIntyre loaded the bases. All three runners advanced on a wild pitch giving Cole a window to score. 

The Cougars lead didn’t last long as Utah quickly put another run on the board in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 2-2. Utah broke the game open in the eighth, plating four runs to take the lead at 6-2. Despite a McIntyre triple in the top of the ninth, the deficit was too much to overcome as the Cougars ultimately lost 6-3.

We just had the one inning get away from us," Littlewood said. "As a team we need to learn how to finish games and close the door when we have the opportunity. We’ll come back tomorrow and be ready to battle again."

BYU returns to Smith Ballpark on Friday, March 12 for the second game of the series against the Utes. The game is slated for a 3 p.m. first pitch with a live radio broadcast on BYU Sports Network and a live stream on the Pac-12+ Network.

PROVO, Utah — After beginning the 2021 season with an 11-game road swing through Texas and Oregon, BYU baseball returns to Utah for a three-game series with rival Utah, March 11-13. The first two games of the series are scheduled to be played on Thursday and Friday at Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City, with the final game Saturday at Miller Park in Provo.

First pitch for all three games is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. MT. Games one and two will be streamed by Utah Athletics with game three broadcast on BYUtv and the BYUtv App. BYU Sports Network—BYU Radio FM 107.9, BYUcougars.com and the BYU Cougars app—will broadcast all three games live. Live stats are available through StatBroadcast.

BYU (3-8) is coming off a three-game series with No. 16 Oregon State. The Beavers took all three games in the series, but each game went down to the wire (1-0, 5-3, 4-3) with OSU coming from behind to win two of the three.

Utah (1-8) opens its home schedule after playing six games in California and three in Arizona. The Utes are 1-8 on the year, with a win at Cal State Fullerton and series losses at No. 19 ASU of the Pac 12 and LMU of the WCC.

The Cougars and Utes have previously met 368 times in baseball since the 1948 season, with BYU holding a 246-121-1 series advantage. The last meeting came on May 14, 2019, with BYU defeating Utah 10-3 in Salt Lake. The first recorded athletic event in BYU history was a baseball game between then Brigham Young Academy and the University of Utah in 1895. The game ended in a 3-3 tie with a bench-clearing brawl.

Taking the hill for BYU in game one on Thursday is senior right-hander Easton Walker, who has appeared in three games and started two. In 15.2 innings, Walker has an ERA of 0.57 with 10 strikeouts, while holding opposing hitters to a .143 average. The Utes will start junior right-hander Justin Kelly who has pitched 16.2 innings over three games with an ERA of 4.86 and 13 strikeouts.

BYU Cougars (3-8, 0-0 WCC)
Head Coach: Mike Littlewood
Alma Mater: BYU
Division I Career Record: 225-177 (9th season)
Record at BYU: Same
2020 Record: 7-9
Returning/Lost: 26/10
Starters Returning/Lost: 8/0
Fielders Returning/Lost: 14/5
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 12/5
Newcomers/True Freshmen: 10/5
2019 Record: 36-17
2019 WCC Record: 19-8
2019 WCC Finish: 1st
 
Utah (1-8, 0-0 Pac 12)
Head Coach: Bill Kinneberg
Alma Mater: Arizona
Division I Career Record: 610-684-1 (26th season)
Record at Utah: 365-502-1 (18th season)
2020 Record: 6-7
Starters Returning/Lost: 7/2
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 19/4
Newcomers: 12
2019 Record: 16-33
2019 Pac 12 Record: 6-24
2019 Pac 12 Finish: 10th