Freshman Cooper Jones probably wasn’t thinking he would hammer his first collegiate home run Thursday as he started the game on the bench.
He certainly wasn't thinking it would come while pinch-hitting in the top of the ninth.
Good news for Cooper and the Cougars: That’s exactly what happened.
Jones stepped into the box with runners on first and second base and BYU down to its final out in the top of the ninth. He watched the first two pitches from Washington State reliever August Richie go for balls, then watched the third pitch leave the yard over the left-field fence.
The home run gave the Cougars a 6-4 lead, their first of the entire ball game.
This has been a memorable week for Jones, who drove in his older brother Easton for his first career RBI in Monday’s 11-3 win over UC Riverside.
Washington State notched one hit in the bottom of the ninth, but BYU’s Ashton Johnson got center fielder Trevor Smith to fly out to left field, ending the game and securing the win for the BYU bat cats.
It was more of the same in what has been a dominant start to the year for Johnson. He leads the team in innings pitched after today’s game, having given up one run over 15 innings of work to date.
His presence late in games has proved massive for a Cougar pitching staff that is off to a rocky start. He improved his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 11-2, also the best on the team. The senior out of Holladay, Utah, has cemented himself as coach Trent Pratt’s most reliable option in the bullpen and the most polished pitcher on the staff.
Washington State kicked off the scoring in this one with a two-run double from left fielder Dustin Robinson in the bottom of the fourth. WSU tacked on two more in the bottom of the fifth, ending BYU starter Garrison Sumner’s night. Sumner struck out four, walked three and gave up four hits through 4 1/3 innings of work.
BYU got one back in the top of the sixth on a Keoni Painter sacrifice fly, bringing the Cougars within three. This was the only damage it did to WSU starter Luke Meyers, who put up another scoreless inning in the seventh. He finished the night with three strikeouts and four hits allowed over seven innings of work, bringing his ERA on the season down to 3.26.
RBI leader Ezra McNaughton brought BYU within two in the top of the eighth, scoring Easton Jones on a single to right. Shortstop Ryder Robinson followed suit with an RBI single of his own, bringing the score to 4-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth.
After a scoreless bottom of the eighth, Bryker Hurdsman and Matt Hansen recorded quick outs in the top of ninth, bringing the game to its final out.
Designated hitter Ridge Erickson was hit by a pitch, and then Easton Jones, older brother of Cooper, drew a walk to put the tying run in scoring position for his younger brother Cooper to come to the plate. Cooper’s home run was the first go-ahead blast for the Cougars of the season.
The team is back in action tomorrow for another “Battle of the Cougars” opposite Washington State. First pitch is at 2:05 p.m., and live radio broadcast is available on BYU Radio.