Cougars drop game one to Longhorns

AUSTIN, Texas — BYU baseball fell to No. 19 Texas, 3-1, in the series opener at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Wednesday night.

The game featured a pitcher’s duel between Cougar right-handed starter Easton Walker and a committee of Longhorns. The BYU senior from Pleasant Grove, Utah, went seven and a third innings, giving up just one run on three hits while striking out four.

“Easton was outstanding tonight,” said BYU head coach Mike Littlewood. “He really competed and gave us a chance to win.”

The Longhorns scored first, homering on the first pitch of the third inning to take a 1-0 lead. The Cougars tied it up in the top of the eighth with a homer of their own, a solo shot by Austin Deming. 

Texas (1-3) then scored two runs on a single through the right side to take the lead back in the top half of the eighth, 3-1. The two-out single hit drove in what proved to be the winning runs as BYU (2-3) went down in order in the ninth.

“Overall, I’m real proud of the guys and the way they competed tonight,” said Littlewood “It came down to Texas got a key hit when they needed it, and we couldn’t seem to string enough hits together.”

Game Notes

• Walker retired the side in order in back-to-back innings to open the game
• He again retired the side in three-straight innings—fifth, sixth and seventh, including an eight-pitch seventh inning
• Over 7.1 innings Walker faced 25 batters, inducing 10 groundouts, eight fly-ball outs and four strikeouts
• Austin Deming got BYU’s first hit of the game, a leadoff double in the sixth inning
• The Cougars finished with three hits, two by Austin Deming and one by Brock Watkins

Player Highlights

• Easton Walker: 7.1 IP, 4 K, 0 BB, 3 H, 1 ER
• Austin Deming: 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI

BYU will be back in action at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 1 p.m. CST, to face the Longhorns in game two of their four-game series. The game will be broadcast live on the ESPN Longhorn Network, as well as the BYU Sports Network on BYU Radio FM 107.7, BYUCougars.com and the BYU Cougars app.