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BYU's Brock Watkins salutes his teammates after hitting a two run home run against CIncinnati in a Big 12 baseball game at Miller Park on Thursday, May 9, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Payton Gubler delivers a pitch against Cincinnati in a Big 12 baseball game at Miller Park on Thursday, May 9, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Parker Goff rounds third base during a Big 12 baseball game against Cincinnati at Miller Park on Thursday, May 9, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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When the bleeding started, there wasn’t anything BYU could do to stop it.

The Cougars played well enough to fashion a 5-2 lead against Big 12 foe Cincinnati on Thursday at Miller Park after six innings. But the visitors scored seven straight runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to claim a 9-5 victory.

“We had our chances,” BYU coach Trent Pratt said during his post-game comments on BYU Radio. “You can’t give up that many free bases. We walked eight and hit two. We played with fire all night and eventually it got to us. We were right in the game. We had a couple of big hits and needed a couple more. This loss hurts, but we’ll come back tomorrow and go for another one.”

The Cougars have now lost ten consecutive Big 12 games and ten consecutive league games at home.

BYU starter Payton Gubler had nine strikeouts in his 4 2/3 inning of work, a season high for Cougar pitchers. But after Gubler left the Bearcats figured out the five pitchers who followed.

Cincinnati jumped out on top 1-0 on a leadoff home run from Kerrington Cross. In the bottom of the first, BYU’s Cooper Vest doubled into the right field corner to score Collin Reuter from second to the game at 1-1. Brock Watkins came up next and found the first pitch to his liking, smashing the ball over the right-center field fence for a two-run homer and a 3-1 BYU lead.

Cincinnati closed to 3-2 in the top of the fourth when Landyn Vidourek hit a solo home run deep to center, a ball that bounced off the street in front of the Marriott Center.

In the top of the sixth, the Bearcats loaded the bases with one out but Boston Mabeus induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

In the bottom of the inning, Vidourek robbed Vest of a home run when he made a leaping catch in right but Parker Goff hit a two-run homer to left and BYU led 5-2.

In the top of eighth the Cougars were trying to nurse a 5-3 lead and brought in closer Stone Cushing with the bases loaded and one out. Cross singled hard up the middle to score two runs and tied the game at 5-all. Goff threw out a runner trying to steal third for the second out and Cushing ended the inning with a strikeout.

Things came undone for Cushing in the ninth. A Max Palmieri triple scored Dalton Pearson from first for a 6-5 lead and Cincinnati plated three more runs off Cushing to take a 9-5 lead.

“Stone has been good for us all year,” Pratt said. “This is maybe the first or second time all year he didn’t have his best stuff and sometimes that happens.”

Freshman Crew McChesney singled to try and start a two-out rally in the bottom of the ninth but Easton Jones struck out looking to end the game.

McChesney was 2 for 4 with a double as the only BYU player with multiple hits. Watkins had two RBI and scored twice and Goff also finished with two RBI. The Cougars had just six hits on the night.

“We had some big hits, pitched out of jams and threw strikes when we needed to,” Pratt said. “The last three innings just hurt. In the eighth we walked the first two guys and they ended up scoring, and in the ninth we walked the leadoff batter too. If we eliminate the walks it’s a different game.”

Cross drove in three runs for Cincinnati and Vidourek, the No. 9 hitter for the Bearcats, had two RBI. Cross, Vidourek, Josh Kross, Josh Hengemann and Christian Michelle all had two hits for Cincinnati.

BYU (19-27 overall, 6-19 Big 12) and Cincinnati (28-21, 14-11) will meet again in Game 2 of the series on Friday at 6 p.m. MT.

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