BYU baseball falls to No. 21 Georgia Tech in season opener

The BYU baseball team has high hopes for 2017, but the Cougars started off on the wrong note.

The BYU baseball team lost to the No. 21 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 5-3 in the season opener. It was also the first game of the Atlanta Challenge the Cougars are participating in.

Georgia Tech hit two homers off Cougars ace Maverik Buffo. Ryan Peurifoy and preseason All-American Kel Johnson each went deep.

“There’s a reason Georgia Tech is ranked No. 21 in the country,” BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said in post-game press release. “They’re big, athletic, physical guys. And they have a lot of confidence on their home field.”

Buffo went five innings on the mound, walking two and allowing five runs (four earned). Rhett Parkinson, Mason Marshall and Riley Gates went the final three innings, combining to allow just one hit.

Buffo will need to be a steady presence on the mound for the Cougars. But, a road start against a ranked team is a tough task on opening day. It’s too early to condemn him for his efforts.

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At the plate, BYU was able to make some noise, it just wasn’t enough. The Cougars had 11 baserunners in the game, but couldn’t get them home.

Sophomore Keaton Kringlen – the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year Award winner last season – extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He scored when Colton Shaver belted a two-run bomb.

BYU baseball will return to the diamond tomorrow to take on Kennesaw State.