With the Utes down 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday against Southeastern Louisiana, senior Biss Larsen stepped up to the plate and delivered a clutch single. While it may not seem like much from a distant perspective, that hit might as well have been the most important one of the entire series against SLU.
Larsen’s hit was the start of a Utah comeback which led to the series win over the Lions.
“The key to that deal [Sunday’s comeback victory] was Biss Larsen’s pinch hit,” said head coach Bill Kinneberg. “That’s what started the rally for us … Yeah, AJ [Young] got the base hit, but Biss is what started it off.”
The head coach expects this of his senior, and this wasn’t the first time the Utes have relied heavily on Larsen. Most notably, last season’s walk-off single against rival BYU might have been his best moment as a Ute. But adding to Larsen’s spark was that it was his third straight pinch hit.
Whenever the Utes need a hit, Kinneberg seems to call on No. 12.
Close games weighing on Utes
Playing in close games is nothing new for the Utes. In fact, most of their games in the past two seasons have been very close.
After playing another series that included multiple one-run games, the work ethic of the players showed this week as they pulled out the decisive Sunday game, which came down to the wire.
Out of its last seven games, Utah participated in five contests that were decided by one run. Utah’s high-pressure offense comes with many close games because they don’t usually score a lot of runs.
“I mean, you have to mentally set yourself to be present for that at-bat. It’s kind of hard to keep present at every pitch and every at-bat, but it does carry on,” Young said.
No secrets for the Utes
As the Utes have progressed this season, there have been times when the Ute pitchers falter in late-game situations.
The past two weekends in particular, both Arizona State and SLU have come back in the final innings to put on the pressure for the Utes. Kinneberg believes the solution to these late-game collapses falls on the pitching staff.
“We’ve got to make pitches at that time,” Kinneberg said. “We’ve got to be strong enough to make pitches and not get behind hitters and get a little luck, too. There is no secret to it. You just have to pitch your game and make that great pitch at the end of the game.”
Utah has a short turnaround before its next game, as it squares off against UVU on Tuesday at Smith’s Ballpark. Last time out, the Utes were able to beat the Wolverines by a score of 7-3.
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