Arizona Baseball

Walden Grove grad Kramkowski leads Arizona to victory over BYU in Big 12 tourney



Walden Grove graduate Owen Kramkowski pitched an effective six innings to lead Arizona to victory in the Big 12 tournament (Big 12 photo)

No. 4 Arizona downed No. 12 BYU 4-1 Thursday morning in its first game at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship behind the pitching of Walden Grove graduate Owen Kramkowski and back-to-back home runs in the first inning by Salpointe alum Mason White and Adonys Guzman at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Arizona (37-18) faces the winner of No. 8 Cincinnati and top-seeded West Virginia in Friday’s semifinal matchup at 2 p.m., Tucson time, on ESPN+. BYU ends its season 28-27.
 
Kramkowski (8-5) started the game for the Wildcats and logged eight strikeouts over six innings of work while not allowing a run. The sophomore right-hander tied his season high in strikeouts.
 
White and Guzman’s blasts off opposing foul poles marked the first time in Big 12 championship history that back-to-back home runs have occurred in the opening frame.
 
The Wildcats extended their lead in the fifth inning after Maddox Mihalakis singled home White to push the lead to 3-0.
 
BYU battled back in the eighth inning, as Ryder Robinson singled home the Cougars’ first run of the game. After forcing a pitching change, BYU was able to get runners on the corners with only one out but failed to scratch either across.
 
Arizona quickly countered the Cougars’ lone run in the bottom of the frame after Mihalakis and Dom Rodriguez traded doubles, pushing the lead back to 4-1.
 
Arizona reliever Tony Pluta earned the save in the Wildcats’ win for his 12th save this year, which puts him one behind the program’s single-season record (Jason Stoffel, 13 in 2008) and in the top 10 in career history at Arizona.

NOTES

● Whiteʼs first-inning home run moved him into a tie for second place all-time for the schoolʼs home run record with 43. He is now tied with Brad Glenn (43, 2009-09), trailing only Shelley Duncan (55, 1999-01).

● Sophomore outfielder Easton Breyfogle extended his team-leading hit streak to six games. He also extended his team-leading on-base streak to eight games. He is hitting .500 (10-for-20) amidst his stretch.

● Kramkowski tied his career high of eight strikeouts. He also issued a career-low one walk over his six innings of work.

● Arizona has now advanced to the semifinals in each of its last four trips to a conference championship
 

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