With a 13-12, come-from-behind victory Tuesday, BYU concluded its season series with Utah.
The Utes (7-11, 20-28) have to be happy to see it end. The Cougars (14-6 WAC, 27-16 overall) took five of six from Utah this season; four of the BYU wins were by a single run.This time, Utah led by as much as four runs twice, only to watch the Cougs battle back. The Utes also battled, coming from behind twice late in the game, but BYU prevailed on pitching that was just a little deeper - as it was most of the times these teams met.
Despite the fact that Utah had been knocked out of the WAC Eastern Division race by the Cougars on Monday, this was not some go-through-the-motions affair. Everyone, in fact, seemed just a little testy. The coaches got on the umpires, the fans got on each other, and a fight even broke out in the Utah dugout.
Utah got off to a good start, looking like a team bent on avenging its ouster from the league race. The Utes capitalized on an error by BYU second baseman Corey Francom to score two unearned runs in the first inning off BYU starter Brian Knoll, added another run in the second, three in the third and another in the fourth.
That was enough for Knoll, who in four innings allowed 10 hits and gave up two walks. He departed trailing 7-3, as the Cougars had not been able to do much against Ute starter Shane Wilde.
In the top of the fifth, though, Ute coach Rick Sofield replaced Wilde with Shawn Andreasen, and the Cougars took advantage. With two outs in that inning and a runner on, Andreasen walked BYU's Ryan Hall, then gave up a three-run homer to Mike Espiritu. Utah responded in the bottom of the frame with a run - with Jorge Jaime then on the mound for BYU - to make it 8-6, Chris Arambula singling home Andy Webster.
In the top of the seventh, the Cougs took their first lead. Hall led off with a homer to right-centerfield, Espiritu walked and Dave Bayles singled, ending Andreasen's outing. Jason Struble took the mound and gave up a single to Carter Hagerman, scoring Espiritu, and, after Robbie Reid struck out, Troy McNaughton grounded out to shortstop, scoring Bayles to make it 9-8.
The BYU lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the seventh, Webster and Arambula singled and Jones hammered an opposite-field homer to right to put Utah back on top, 11-9.
BYU scored again in the eighth, on a walk and two singles, but Utah went back up by two, 12-10, when Cougar reliever Kevin Foderaro walked Jones with the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning.
The Cougs' top-of-the-ninth rally started with a double by Lance Moore off the fence in right-center. McNaughton singled to left, scoring Moore. Jared Bills bunted NcNaughton to second. Francom slapped a high-hopper over the third-baseman's head for a double, scoring McNaughton and tying the game. After a walk to Eric McDowell, Hall lined a double down the rightfield line to make it 13-12.
With the bottom of the order up in the bottom of the ninth, the Utes were unable to rally again.