BYU baseball headed home Monday evening with a 2-2 series split against Western Kentucky.
The Cougars dropped game three, 4-2, then won game four, 12-8.
Pitcher Wayland Crane opened game three throwing four complete innings. He gave up four hits, two earned runs, two walks and one wild pitch.
Out of the 17 batters he faced, Crane drew four groundouts and two flyouts and got seven strikeouts. He gave up two extra base hits, one of those a first inning home run. He left the game with the Cougars behind 2-1.
Pitcher Nate Wochner took the loss, entering the game in the bottom of the seventh. In the bottom of the eighth, he gave up a walk then hit the next batter. He then threw a wild pitch advancing both runners to second and third. The next batter hit a single, scoring both runners and the Hilltoppers won 4-2.
It was a well-pitched game, and the Cougars wasted an opportunity for a win. The Cougars had a team game batting average of .194, only hitting .100 with runners in scoring position and .158 when they had the chance to advance runners.
After a day off on Sunday, the Cougars won game four by going crazy in the batter’s box.
In the second inning, BYU scored five runs. Ryder Robinson singled up the middle, Parker Goff singled on a bunt, and Easton Jones singled to center field, loading up the bases. Ryker Schow then hit a double, scoring all three runners and was credited with three RBIs. Ezra McNaughton then hit a two-run dinger, scoring both him and Schow.
The Cougars had another great inning in the top of the fourth, scoring four more runs. Schow reached base on a throwing error by the shortstop. He then stole second and advanced to third after Luke Anderson doubled to left center.
McNaughton homered again, getting three RBIs. With the bases emptied, Bryker Hurdsman doubled down the left field line, then reached third on a wild pitch. Goff picked up another RBI, scoring Hurdsman on a sacrifice fly to right.
The Cougars scored three more runs in the rest of the game, two of those in the top of the fifth and one in the top of the eighth.
True freshman Austin Park started and pitched 2 ⅔ innings, giving up five earned runs. Carson Bell was the pitcher of record and picked up the win, giving up no runs during his 2 ½ innings pitched. Wochner redeemed himself from game three, pitching the final ⅔ inning of the ninth and giving up no runs.
It was a career game for McNaughton at the plate, going three for five, scoring three runs, hitting two doubles and sending three dingers out of the park.
The Cougars head to California this weekend for three games.