The Utah baseball team (8-13, 4-2 in Pac-12) continued its recent streak of quality play, winning its second straight Pac-12 series, defeating the Sun Devils in two of the three-game series over the holiday weekend. On Thursday, the Utes bested their desert rivals by winning 3-1, but were no-hit the following day to fall 5-0 to even up the series.
But while their bats were failing on Friday, they came alive on Saturday to clinch the series with a 16-7 win over Arizona State. After starting the season 4-11, the Utes have impressed since beginning conference play, going 2-1 against Oregon and Arizona St., respectively.
Because of Easter Sunday, the teams began their three-game series on Thursday and played their final game on Saturday.
On Thursday, Jayson Rose (3-2, 2.95 ERA) started the series on the mound for Utah. Rose currently leads the team in strikeouts by a large margin with 45, and he delivered an excellent performance by throwing eight innings, allowing just one run on four hits with eight strikeouts and three walks. Riley Ottesen appeared in relief, before Dylan Drachler entered to clinch his third save of the season.
Leading the Utes behind the plate on Thursday evening were Kellen Marruffo (3-for-5 with an RBI) and Josh Rose (2-for-4). The Utes drew first blood in the top of the third inning after Rose scored following a wild pitch, giving the Utes an early 1-0 lead over the Sun Devils.
Five innings later, in the top of the eighth with the game tied at 1, Chandler Anderson hit a short single to right field, scoring Dallas Carroll. In the final inning, the Utes added an insurance run after DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. scored from second following a single to right by Marruffo.
Any positive emotions flowing through the clubhouse on Thursday were immediately eliminated on Friday as the Utes failed to record a single hit on the afternoon in their 5-0 loss.
Dalton Carroll (3-3, 4.55 ERA) threw five innings, allowing two runs on eight hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. Andre Jackson would enter the game in the sixth to throw 2 2/3 innings, allowing only one hit and five strikeouts. But it was a different story for Nolan Stouder, who endured a tough performance allowing three runs on four hits in just a third of an inning.
The Utes were only able to put four runners on the base-pads, leaving everyone on base.
With the conference series tied between the two teams, the Utes returned to the diamond Saturday afternoon to attempt to clinch a conference series win. The Utah offense erupted, totaling 23 hits on the night with eight Utes having multiple hits and an RBI. Dallas Carroll, Keirsey, Jr., A.J. Young and Jackson would each have three hits in the final game of the weekend series.
Jackson led all Utes with three RBIs on the evening. He now has a .409 batting average, appearing as a starter in six out of nine appearances on the season.
Josh Lapiana started the game for Utah, allowing five runs on five hits and two strikeouts with three walks. Ottesen would take over in the sixth, throwing for 2 1/3 innings, before Drachler got the win on the mound by throwing the remaining 2 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit and two walks with a strikeout.
After ASU took an early two-run lead, the Utes responded in the top of the second with three runs off four hits. Young singled in Cody Scaggari before Marruffo singled in both Keirsey, Jr. and Young, giving the Utes a 3-2 lead. Utah added three more runs in the fifth. With two outs, Josh Rose hit a two-RBI double scoring both Keirsey, Jr. and Young. Following the double, Kody Davis would single in Rose giving the Utes a four-run lead.
The Utes’ fifth-inning splurge wasn’t enough, however, as the Sun Devils had a big fifth inning of their own, scoring three runs to cut Utah’s lead to just one. One inning later in the bottom of the sixth, an RBI double would tie the game up a six for Arizona State.
Utah would regain the lead in the top of the eighth with a four-run inning, with RBIs from Young, Jackson and Dallas Carroll. Utah added six more runs in the ninth to finish off ASU.
The series victory over the Sun Devils is just the fifth conference series victory since joining the Pac-12 for Utah. After a slow start to the season, the team has certainly turned things around and is looking like a dangerous competitor in the Pac-12 conference.
**RAIN OUT**
The Utes’ first home game of the season was originally scheduled to be Tuesday, Mar. 29 against UVU (13-12, 2-1 in WAC). Due to weather conditions, the game has been postponed to Wednesday with first pitch at 6 p.m. MT at Smith’s Ballpark.
@ArmenMShrikian