BYU baseball: Cougars fall to Georgia State in extra innings

BYU baseball has wrapped up the Atlanta Challenge to open the season, falling to Georgia State in extra innings today.

The BYU baseball team lost to Georgia State 3-2 in 10 innings on Monday afternoon. It was the final game of the Atlanta Challenge.

An extra-innings loss is always heartbreaking, but this one is particularly so. The umpire ruled Colton Shaver pulled his foot off the bag with two on and two out. The result was a Panthers win.

BYU was out-hit for the first time all season, but the Cougars got great performances on the mound.

Hayden Rogers got the start and went four innings, allowing one run. Keaton Cenatiempo, Rhett Parkinson, Mason Marshall and Riley Gates combined to go the next six innings, allowing two runs and striking out seven.

“Our pitching staff did a great job tonight,” BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said in a press release after the game.

Six Cougars went hitless in the game, but Kyle Dean and Nate Favero each drove in a run. Dean, a high school All-American who missed most of last season, is off to a slow start in 2017. He’s hitting just .231 and has struck out three times in 13 at bats.

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Favero on the other hand is swinging a very hot bat. He’s hitting .571 with two doubles.

Littlewood said the Cougars are thinking too much at the plate.

“We’ve got a couple guys pressing at the plate right now,” Littlewood said. “But we had great energy and competed well against a very solid team.”

Next up for BYU baseball is the San Jose State Tournament from Feb. 23-25. The Cougars will play Northern Colorado twice and San Jose State twice.