Utah will return home after opening the 2014 campaign by splitting four games with Sacramento State over the weekend.
Each game was close, as all were decided by one run. The season opener saw the Utes lose 3-2 then bounce back in game two with a 2-1 victory. They lost steam and fell in game three 5-4 but ended the opening weekend with a 5-4 win Monday.
“I think it’s going to be like this most of the year — close ball games with pitching keeping us in it,” said head coach Bill Kinneberg. “We don’t have a real explosive offense yet.”
The first game was harsh for Utah, as it fell behind 2-0 in the first inning. Ute freshman Josh Rose had a nice debut, as he scored a run and brought another home, but the Hornets fended off the Utah charge.
“We played solid, but we just couldn’t get a whole lot going,” Kinneberg said in a press release. “Mitch [Watrous] and Dylan [Drachler] pitched very well. It was just a simple baseball game today.”
Game two got Utah back on its feet, largely thanks to Tanner Banks, who went wild and struck out nine batters over seven innings. Zach Adams and Nick Green pitched the rest of the way to preserve the Ute victory. Utah gave up just three hits on the contest.
“Tanner was efficient today, he didn’t give in and just pounded the strike zone,” Kinneberg said in a press release. “He was really good today. All three of our pitchers pitched well, only giving up three hits.”
Game three saw more offense and late drama. With the Utes down 4-3 in the eighth inning, sophomore AJ Young drove Tyler Yagi home, evening the score. Sacramento State came through in the clutch, though, scoring in the bottom of the ninth to win and take a 2-1 advantage on the weekend. Young drove in three of Utah’s runs for the game.
The final game of the set was a great way to end the trip for the Utes. Even as the Hornets took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, Utah battled back and took a 3-2 lead in the second and then tacked on two more scores in the sixth. Sacramento State cut the lead to 5-4 but couldn’t muster quite enough of a comeback, and the Utes secured the series split.
“The one thing I thought we did better today than we have all weekend was that we swung the bats really well,” Kinneberg said in a press release. “We only had eight hits, but we hit the ball hard and that was a good sign.”
Overall, Kinneberg said he was pleased with how his team’s season began.
“We got a feel for the game a little bit this weekend. We played a solid team in Sacramento State,” Kinneberg said. “But our pitching was really good for four games, and that’s a real positive sign for us.”
Utah will head off to Arizona this weekend for the Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Tournament.
[email protected]