Cougars dominant in 12-0 rout of Saint Mary’s

PROVO, Utah — BYU baseball recorded a season-high 18 hits Thursday night at Miller Park while starting pitcher Easton Walker fanned eight en route to a dominant 12-0 shutout over Saint Mary’s.

“Easton was really great tonight, he had great command of his fastball,” said BYU head coach Mike Littlewood. “Our hitters did a great job of swinging at strikes and taking balls. It shows that our guys are locked in and feeling more comfortable at the plate. Our guys had some really great at-bats tonight.”

Jacob Wilk, Andrew Pintar, Mitch McIntyre and Joshua Cowden each tallied three hits on the game to lead the Cougars’ (14-23, 7-9) hitters. Wilk nearly hit for the cycle, posting three RBIs with a single, double and triple. McIntyre had a pair of RBIs while Pintar hit the only home run of the game, a solo shot to left center in the third inning.

Walker was dominant on the mound, fanning eight Gaels (20-18, 9-10) batters while giving up just three hits and two walks in seven innings of work. McKay Heaton tallied a pair of strikeouts in relief duty through two innings to keep the shutout intact. The Cougar defense allowed just five hits with no errors.

Game Highlights

• BYU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, as Watkins drove Wilk home from second with a single through the left side. Wilk had led the inning off with a single up the middle before advancing to second on a Hayden Leatham blooper to right.
• Pintar launched a solo shot over the wall in left center in the bottom of the third, starting a five-run inning for the Cougars. Wilk, Leatham, Watkins and McIntyre also tallied RBIs in the frame as BYU went up 6-0.
• Wilk doubled to left center to drive home Cole Gambill, who reached on a bunt single, all the way from first. Leatham then scored Wilk, who managed to just avoid the tag at home, on a fielder’s choice. With the bases loaded later in the third, Watkins was hit by a pitch, sending Cowden home. McIntyre capped the five-hit, five-run inning for the Cougars with an infield single to drive Leatham home from third.
• BYU added another three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 9-0 advantage. Wilk scored Pintar and Gambill, who had both reached on singles, with a triple deep to right field. Wilk then jogged home on a passed ball for his third run of the game.
• The Cougars tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth frame, going up 10-0 as Leatham scored from second on a McIntyre single to left field. Leatham had reached base on an infield single and advanced to second after Abraham Valdez drew a walk.
• In the bottom of the seventh, BYU added a pair of runs to take a 12-0 lead. Valdez singled through the left side with the bases loaded, sending Pintar home. Watkins drew a walk in the following at-bat to score Cowden.

Player Notes

• Easton Walker: 7.0 IP, 8K, 3H, 2BB, 2.35 ERA, W (2-4)
• Jacob Wilk: 3-6, 3RBI, 3R, 3B, 2B
• Andrew Pintar: 3-4, HR, 3R, RBI
• Mitch McIntyre: 3-6, 2RBI
• Joshua Cowden: 3-5, 2R

BYU will play Saint Mary’s again Friday, April 30, at 6 p.m. MDT at Miller Park in game two of the three-game WCC series. The contest will be broadcast live on BYUtv and the BYUtv app. Audio broadcasts will also be available on the BYU Sports Network: BYU Radio FM 107.9 FM, BYUCougars.com and the BYU Cougars app.