“It was a complete team victory tonight. I thought everyone did something to help us win,” said BYU head baseball coach Trent Pratt. “I thought we pitched it well, played great defense and got some clutch hitting from Ryder Robinson.”

Robinson, the reigning Brooks Wallace Award National Player of the Week, reached safely in all five plate appearances, scoring twice and driving in two runs to secure Pratt’s 100th career win as head coach at BYU.

BYU (11-12) scored six runs on 11 hits, stranding 10, while Utah (13-9) plated five runs on 12 hits while also leaving 10 on base.

Highlights

Ryder Robinson: 4-4, 2RBI, 2Run, 2B, 2SB

Easton Jones: 2-4, 2RBI, BB

Crew McChesney: 1-5, RBI, Run, 2B

Tu’alau Wolfgramm: 1-3, Run, 2B, BB

BYU scored in its first at bat to post an early 2-0 lead. With two down and no one on base, Robinson singled to right field and later advanced to second on a wild pitch. Crew McChesney then doubled to right center to score Robinson, and Easton Jones singled to left field to drive in McChesney for the two-run advantage.

Utah took the lead 3-2 in the bottom of the second inning on three hits, two walks, a hit batter and a Cougar error.

After four scoreless innings, BYU retook the lead in the top of the seventh on two hits and a walk. With one out, Tu’alau Wolfgramm drew a full-count base-on-balls and advanced to second on an Anderson single to left. Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch and later scored on Robinson’s two-out single to right field for a 4-3 advantage.

The Cougars picked up another run in the eighth to extend their lead to 5-3. Keoni Painter drew a walk and advanced to third on a Ryker Schow single to left. Erickson then singled to bring Painter home.

BYU picked up a much-needed insurance run in the top of the ninth. Robinson was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and stole second–his second swiped bag of the night. Jones then singled through the left side of the infield to score Robinson and push the BYU lead to 6-3.

A two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth brought Utah to within a run at 6-5 with just one out. Back to-back singles put the winning run on first base, but an acrobatic running catch by Painter in left field gave BYU the second out of the inning and a diving grab on the warning track in right center by Wolfgramm ended Utah’s hopes of a comeback in the ninth.

True freshman Jaxson Clayton got the win, his first as a Cougar, while senior Ashton Johnson picked up his second save of the season.

Up Next

BYU welcomes Oklahoma State to Provo, March 26-28 for a three-game Big 12 Conference series. All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and will also be available on the BYU Radio app, BYUradio.org and 107.9 FM in Utah County.