BYU defeated Cincinnati 10-9 on March 14 to secure its first Big 12 baseball series win of the year at Miller Park in Provo, Utah.
The victory came after BYU overcame a five-run deficit, highlighting the team’s resilience and ability to rally late in the game. The Cougars improved their record to 9-9, while Cincinnati fell to 15-6.
Cincinnati took an early lead with back-to-back solo home runs in the first inning and extended their advantage through the fourth inning, leading BYU by as much as five runs. However, reliever Nate Gray entered for BYU and held Cincinnati scoreless over three innings, allowing his team to mount a comeback. Key offensive contributions included Easton Jones going two-for-three with three runs scored, three runs batted in, and two home runs. Ryder Robinson also added a home run and an RBI.
The Cougars’ offense produced seven unanswered runs between the fifth and seventh innings. Notable moments included Ryker Schow’s double that drove in two runs and Luke Anderson’s single that brought home two more. Ezra McNaughton’s double gave BYU its first lead at 8-7. Jones’ second home run of the night provided a cushion at 10-7.
Cincinnati narrowed the gap with two runs in the eighth inning before Ashton Johnson came on as relief pitcher for BYU in the ninth. Johnson struck out the last two batters he faced to preserve both Gray’s win and his own first save of the season.
Looking ahead, BYU will travel to St. George on Tuesday, March 17 to face Utah Tech at 6:05 p.m. Mountain Time. The game will be available live on BYUradio.org, via the BYU Radio app with Matt Baiamonte calling play-by-play, and broadcast on ESPN+.
