ARLINGTON, Texas - No. 4 Arizona (37-18) downed No. 12 BYU (28-27), 4-1, in its first-ever game at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship after back-to-back home runs in the first inning from Mason White and Adonys Guzman on Thursday morning at Globe Life Field.
 
Right-hander Owen Kramkowski (8-5) toed the rubber to open the game for the Wildcats, logging eight strikeouts over six innings of work and allowing no runs. The sophomore tied his season high in strikeouts in the winning effort.
 
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 12^th save this year, which puts him one behind the program’s single-season record and in the top-10 in career history at Arizona.
 
Arizona faces the winner of No. 8 Cincinnati and top-seeded West Virginia in tomorrow’s semifinal matchup at 4 p.m. CT on ESPN+.