The Cougars failed to win their last game of the Kleberg Bank Classic today, losing to the Texas San Antonio Roadrunners 7-1.
BYU has struggled in the Classic, winning only one game the entire weekend. Coach Mike Littlewood, however, wasn’t phased by the outcome.
“There was a fight in us today that I liked. We didn’t give up. We were in it until the end and that is what I want to see,” Littlewood said.
The Cougars’ fight was a team effort. BYU’s one run came in the eighth inning, when Dillon Robinson hit a two-out single allowing Hayden Nielsen to score.
BYU catcher Jarrett Jarvis singled in the fourth inning, but got stranded at second base. The team singled six other times in the game, a first-inning bunt by Robinson, in the fourth inning by Kelton Caldwell, and then in the eighth by Nielsen, Lund and Robinson. The last single on the Cougars’ part was in the ninth by Eric Urry.
“I liked the way (Jeff) Barker hung in after giving up quick runs. He did a great job settling back in and keeping it close,” Littlewood said. “He set a great example to not give up, to bear down a bit more.”
The Roadrunners (5-1) had better success in hitting. Overall, they had five doubles and two home runs. The home runs were scored by outfielders Jesse Baker and Tony Ramirez.
“The (Roadrunners) swung the bats as well as any team we have played this year,” Littlewood said. UTSA was picked to finish seventh in the 13-team Conference USA this season.
BYU hopes to use this weekend’s classic to get ready for their next game against Texas Tech in Lubbock at 1 p.m. next Monday.
“On our side of things, it’s like a perfect storm,” Littlewood said. “We are not playing to our potential right now. We’re playing okay defense and that’s not a recipe for success. It’s a matter of believing in ourselves…We just need to get it done on the field and not just talk about it.”
