In a rivalry game that didn’t disappoint, the Utes got back to .500 Tuesday night.
Their ninth win of the season came against Utah Valley University — thanks to a bases-loaded pinch-hit single from TJ Bennett in the 11th inning that plated Tyler Relf.
“It was just another at bat and I was able to keep calm,” Bennett said. “[The count] got to 3-2, and I knew he didn’t want to walk me. It was just a fastball out over the plate and I was able to stay short and put the barrel on it.”
Bennett’s RBI sealed the victory for Utah, but it was a big one out triple by Relf that put Utah in a position to win.
“That was huge for us as a team offensively,” Bennett said. “He put a spark plug in us and it was a big knock in the gap. It put the pressure on them.”
Though the Utes got the clutch hit when it mattered most, they struggled to get hits throughout the game. After 10 innings, Utah only had three. However, when trailing 2-1 in the eighth inning, Utah managed to stretch across the tying run by utilizing the Wolverines’ pitching mistakes.
After being hit by a pitch to start the inning, Braden Anderson moved from first to second on a pitch in the dirt. Anderson then took third as Kody Davis drew a walk. With one out and runners on the corners, Dallas Carroll hit an RBI sacrifice fly to right that tied the game at two apiece. Carroll also had a double and a single with a run scored earlier in the game.
Utah’s pitching staff also played a vital role in claiming the win. After starting pitcher Chase Rezac allowed only two runs through five innings of work, dominant relief performances from Luke West and the rest of the Utes bullpen kept UVU from scoring after the fifth. West came on in the sixth and mowed down the Wolverine batters. He claimed six strikeouts on his way to retiring 12 of the 14 batters he faced.
“I am so proud of Luke,” said Utah head coach Bill Kinneberg. “He’s had a tough two years here. He pitched outstanding tonight. The two heroes were West and Relf with the big hit in the 11th.”
Although they claimed the win, Kinneberg said the Utes still need to work on executing their offense.
“We had a lot of people in scoring position throughout the game,” Kinneberg said. “We got a little anxious at the plate and struck out a couple of times in key situations.”
The Utes will continue a busy week as they will head back to California to face Stanford, their second Pac-12 opponent.
“It was a good victory,” Kinnberg said. “Now our focus is this weekend on Stanford.”
Game 1 of that series is slated for 6 p.m. on Friday night.