BYU picked up its first-ever Big 12 baseball tournament win Wednesday morning at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, upsetting No. 5 seed Arizona State 2-0 in an opening-round game.
The Cougars improved to 28-26 with the victory, assuring themselves of a winning season in their second year in the Big 12. Arizona State, considered a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament, dropped to 35-22.
BYU will face No. 4 seed Arizona (36-18) in a second-round game in the single-elimination tournament at 8 a.m. MDT Thursday.
BYU pitchers Justice Reiser and Ashton Johnson combined to throw the six-hit shutout, with starter Reiser allowing just three hits in four innings of work and reliever Johnson allowing just three hits in the final five innings against one of the best offensive teams in college baseball.
Both lefties struck out one and neither gave up a walk. Johnson did hit one batter with a pitch.
It was a struggle at the plate for BYU’s offense, as the Cougars struck out 18 times and went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position. BYU stranded 14 base runners.
However, the Cougars picked up a run in the second when Crew McChesney doubled home Keoni Painter.
In the fifth, BYU took the 2-0 lead when Bryker Hurdsman drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in Tate Gambill, who had been hit by a pitch.
The Cougars improved to 27-2 when leading after eight innings, as Johnson started the ninth by hitting Matt King with a pitch. The BYU sophomore from Olympus High and the College of Southern Idaho escaped with the win after getting Jacob Tobias to fly out to deep right, Kien Vu to fly out to deep left and Brandon Compton to pop out to shallow left.
Arizona State did not get a runner in scoring position (second base) until the eighth inning, when Jax Ryan singled to left and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice.
With runners on first and second, Johnson got Landon Hairston to fly out to left to end the threat.
BYU drew eight walks and three Cougars were hit by pitches.
Luke Anderson tripled and Hurdsman doubled, in addition to drawing the walk that led to BYU’s second run.
Matt Hansen and Ryder Robinson also had base hits for the Cougars, who went 10-20 in the Big 12 regular season.