The pitching for the University of Utah baseball team was spectacular over the weekend. David Watson threw an eight inning shutout and Dustyn Schramm went eight, only giving up one run. The Utes would go on to sweep the UC Davis Aggies in the two-game series.
Game One:
The Utes played fantastically on senior night, scoring eight while Watson and Zac McCleve combined for a five-hit shutout.
A two-out infield hit from Shea Kramer scored Erick Migueles to put the Utes ahead 1-0 in the first. Utah would add to their lead in the second on a Matt Richardson double to drive in Briley Knight. A hanging breaking ball was lined into right field by Oliver Dunn moving the score to 3-0 later in the inning.
Dunn had another clutch hit in the bottom of the fifth, blasting a one-out double to drive in Richardson. One batter later, Migueles homered to move the score to 6-0 in favor of the Utes. Zack Moeller singled in the seventh with runners on first and second to extend Utah’s lead 7-0.
In the eighth, Chandler Anderson singled to left, scoring Isaac Cruz to shut the door on senior night.
After the game, Anderson said, “It’s all about finishing, I want to finish strong and I want to finish on a high note. This season obviously didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but I want to finish with these two wins and with some good at bats.” He continued, “I’m going to soak [my last game as a Ute] in and enjoy it. I tell myself to enjoy every pitch, and enjoy the moments in the clubhouse and in the dugout. This is a dream come true, so I’m just going to be where my feet are and soak it in.”
‘I’m just grateful to be out here with the team,” Cruz chimed in. “Seeing senior success tonight was awesome. I’m really excited for tomorrow, I love being out here with the guys, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Migueles also talked about senior night: “It was fun for us, everybody was hitting and it was a fun game to be a part of. I’m excited for tomorrow. I’m closing a chapter on my life and moving to the next, so it should be fun.”
Game Two:
Another solid eight inning pitching performance by Schramm shut the Aggies down in a Utah series sweep.
The second inning saw a Richardson single up the middle scoring Isaac Deveaux to put the Utes ahead 1-0.
Anderson’s triple in the bottom of the fourth set up a Cruz sac bunt to add a second run to Utah’s lead. Richardson’s single later in the inning would score Deveaux after the center fielder misplayed the mall in the outfield. With the Utes ahead 3-0 and Richardson on third, Migueles doubled to extend Utah’s lead to four.
UC Davis got their first run of the game in the sixth off a double to bring the score to 4-1. The Utes were able to extend their lead in the bottom of the sixth on a Tyler Thompson single.
Utah would go on to be the victors in game two 5-1 and sweep the final series of the year.
Utah’s seniors played a big part in this weekend’s matchup, with Anderson going 3-8 at the plate with one RBI. Cruz also had a good showing, going 2-4 at the plate with a sac bunt, two runs scored and one RBI. Migueles rounds out the seniors that played going 4-9 with a home run and three RBI.
Coach Bill Kinneberg said about his senior class, “We wanted to send these guys out on a good note, and I’m proud of the way they’ve played. They’re guys that have helped us a lot, so it’s bittersweet for us but they’ve all had great careers so we’re very thankful to them.”
Season Wrap Up:
The Utes will finish the season in tenth place in the Pac-12 with a record of 16-33. Although this was not the type of season Utah baseball wanted, a lot of positives came from this year. Find out more in upcoming coverage from The Daily Utah Chronicle in our season recap.
