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The Wildcats did not take advantage of it.

Arizona lost 8-4 to BYU on Saturday at Hi Corbett Field, losing the series to the Cougars after winning the opener. The UA also lost two of three to Kansas State the previous weekend.

Through Saturday afternoon, Arizona sat in 12th place among the 14 teams that play baseball in the Big 12 — basically right where the Wildcats started before the homestand.

The Cats seemingly set themselves up for success this weekend after No. 3 starter Luc Fladda shut down BYU on Thursday in a 6-0 victory. Arizona shuffled its rotation to keep Owen Kramkowski and Smith Bailey on normal rest.

Kramkowski pitched well Friday but didn’t get enough support. The Wildcats had only four hits and committed a season-high four errors in a 5-1 setback.

Bailey was coming off the best game of his career — a one-hit, 15-strikeout gem vs. KSU. He couldn’t match it or even approach it vs. BYU, yielding five runs on nine hits in 4⅓ innings.

The Cougars scored three runs in the top of the first, furthering Bailey’s struggles in the opening frame. Bailey has allowed 12 first-inning runs in seven Big 12 starts. He put up first-inning zeroes in only two of those outings (TCU, KSU).

Arizona trailed 5-0 by the time freshman Caleb Danzeisen hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. BYU responded with two runs in the top of the sixth.

Down 7-4 in the bottom of the eighth, Arizona had the tying run at the plate with two outs. Nate Novitske hit a long fly ball to right field that was knocked down by the wind.

Arizona resumes play Tuesday night at Grand Canyon before a three-game series Friday-Sunday at Kansas, which holds sole possession of first place in the Big 12.