Utah waited 32 years to win a WAC division baseball title. And after losing a heartbreaker to BYU on Friday, and needing just one win over the Cougars in the three-game series to clinch the crown, Saturday couldn't have come soon enough for the Utes.
So the Utes wasted little time in defeating BYU, 12-7, to finally claim the title that had eluded them since 1965. "Everybody on this team understood we weren't going to lose this one today," said junior Casey Child, who smacked a pair of home runs, including a solo shot in the first inning.It was a game which saw nine homers between the two schools, including five by Utah. But, ultimately, it came down to the pitcher who could endure the shelling the longest. For Utah, it was Sean Cawley, who went the distance and struck out six. BYU went through four pitchers.
"We can make up a lot of ground with our offense, but we can't expect to win 19-18 every day," said Cougar coach Gary Pullins. "We're just not pitching well. We're giving up too many runs right now."
After second-inning homers by Curtis Hall and Scott Pratt, the Utes jumped off to a 5-0 lead and it appeared they were on the verge of running away from BYU. But Utah had a better sense of drama than that.
The Utes committed three errors in the fourth inning, allowing the Cougars to score four runs. But in the fifth, Utah's Greg Flint belted a three-run dinger. The Cougars cut the deficit to 8-6 in the sixth on a pair of home runs by Tyson DowDell and D.G. Nelson.
Child homered to lead off the Utah sixth. Dusty Atkinson later singled, and was doubled home by Matt Eeles. Hall followed with a single to knock in Eeles, and Flint's RBI single made the score 12-6.
Chris Circuit opened the bottom of the sixth with a home run (what else?), but the Cougars were shut down the rest of the way by Cawley, who struck out Circuit looking in the seventh to end the game.
And the celebration on BYU's turf was on. "Everyone knows how this rivalry goes," said first-year coach Tim Esmay. "And to win it down here makes it even better."
Pullins was thoroughly impressed with the Utes. "This is far and away the best-balanced, best-coached Utah team I've ever seen," he said. "Tim is doing a phenomenal job."
In the nightcap of the twinbill, BYU pounded Utah 26-14. The Cougars tied an NCAA record by hitting six home runs in the seventh inning, including two by Nelson, which ties another NCAA record. For the game, Nelson hit four homers, tying a WAC record.
Next up for the Utes and Cougars is a trip to San Diego for the WAC championships, which begin Wednesday. Pairings will be announced tonight.