On a sunny weekend at Smith’s Ballpark, not only did the Utes continue to endure the thick of their conference schedule but they also recorded a monumental victory over No. 6 Arizona State. Utah (10-19) came into the weekend needing a good series to keep their season stable, and finally, it turned some heads.
The Utes didn’t win the series over ASU, losing two out of the three games, but they did steal a game from the Sun Devils, an impressive feat in itself over a highly-ranked team.
“We battled all three days,” sophomore Max Schuman said. “[We] just couldn’t hang on to it. I’m really proud of the team this week. We really played really good baseball and there is certainly better things to come from here.”
Thursday night’s game was a barn burner, and took extra innings to decide the outcome. In his first opening-series start, junior Nolan Stouder pitched very well as he only allowed two runs on three hits during his seven innings on the mound, but Utah would ultimately lose 3-2 in a close game.
At the plate, the Utes could only manage eight hits on the day, as juniors Wyler Smith and AJ Young both finished with two hits each. Young also was able to drive in two runs, while junior Cody Scaggari was the only other Ute to bring in a run, despite an underwhelming 1-for-5 effort at bat. .
The Friday game was one for the record books for Utah. The Utes got a lead late in the game and hung on in the end to pick up a huge 6-5 win over the Sun Devils. The win ended a 27-game losing streak to ASU and it was the first time since 1960 that Utah got a win.
Plenty of players got into the action on offense, including Davis who hit his first career home run in the seventh inning. He would finish the game 2-for-3 from the plate. Sophomores Hunter Simmons and Dallas Carroll both recorded two hits, while Smith would also connect with the ball twice, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Utah used a three-run seventh inning to hold Arizona State off in the later innings.
Junior Dalton Carroll pitched six innings, allowing two runs on three hits. Junior Bret Helton, usually the opening-night starter, came in for relief duty and pitched the final innings. He picked up the victory which moves him to 2-4 on the season after allowing three runs on six hits in his three innings pitched.
Helton win was the first he’s had since the opening weekend of the year.
Saturday’s game was a closely contested contest throughout. The momentum swung both ways and it seemed that every time one team reached out and made a play, the other returned the favor. This was the case until the final innings.
After the teams traded blows through the first five innings, it looked like it was anyone’s ball game. However, with pristine pitching and timely hits, which have been hard to come by for the Utes in the past, Utah came up short again in the clutch, losing the final game of the series by the score of 6-5.
Schuman had himself a big game by keeping his team in it by hitting a home run, and even though the Utes found themselves on the losing side, the sophomore feels like there is optimism for the future after this series.
“The cards didn’t fall in our favor,” Schuman said. “We have to keep playing fundamental baseball like we have been and everything will work out.”
Another strong performance on the mound from freshman Jayson Rose put the Utes in a good spot heading into the later innings. He finished with six strikeouts, but did allow three runs on six hits. However, two of those runs given up came in the first inning.
Hunter Rodriguez did not disappoint in his relief duty for Rose, going 2.2 innings and allowing just one run on four hits. Thomas had the task of taming the Sun Devils in the top of the ninth with a one-run lead but was unable to keep them off the board as they tied the game up at five, as the Utah collapse began.
Sophomore Dylan Drachler was Utah’s last pitcher on the night and he was unable to secure the victory for the Utes as the Sun Devils used some crucial hits to get runners their runners around the bases, and win the series.
Despite losing two of three, the Utes are happy with the way they played this weekend, especially against a team as good as Arizona State.
“It all came down to one pitch,” Rose said. “I’m proud of all my teammates. We had one hell of a fight.”
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