The University of Utah baseball team continued its season this past weekend with a trip up to Corvallis, Oregon. In a three-game set against the No. 15 Oregon State Beavers, the Utes were able to take one out of three games.

In a wild opener on Friday evening, the Utes picked up a huge 13-9 win. Utah got on the board in the second inning when Cameron Gurney was hit by a pitch and eventually scored on a Matt Flaharty double. Flaharty also drove in Landon Frei on the play. After Flaharty moved up to third on a wild pitch, Kai Roberts hit a double himself to score Flaharty. Davis Cop followed the trend and doubled to bring in Roberts. This second-inning effort tied the game quickly after a four-run inning from the Beavers in the first.

Utah’s offensive explosion continued two innings later in the fourth. Frei led the inning off with a walk. A couple of batters later, Bruer Webster picked up a single to left field. Roberts then blasted one over the right field wall, putting the Utes up 7-6, a lead they would never relinquish. Later in the inning, Jayden Kiernan stepped up to the plate with two runners on base and got a hit, scoring Cop. Gurney then got on base via a fielding error from the Oregon State first baseman. This allowed both Kiernan and TJ Clarkson to score, bringing the Utes lead to 10-6. 

Both teams added three more runs over the ensuing innings. Utah pitcher Micah Ashman entered the game in the eighth. After ending the inning with two strikeouts, he retired the side in the ninth to secure the victory for the Utes.

The second game of the series got off to an electric start. After Cop hit a ground rule double and Clarkson walked, Karson Bodily cleared the bases with a home run to give the Utes a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning. Unfortunately, Oregon State responded with a three-run homer of their own to tie the game in the bottom of the first. The Beavers scored three more in the second to take a 6-3 lead.

Kai Roberts responded with a leadoff home run in the top of the third, his second homer of the series. In the sixth inning, Bodily picked up his fourth RBI of the game, driving in Clarkson. This cut the lead to 6-5. Unfortunately for the Utes, the rally stalled there. The final three innings of the game were scoreless and the Beavers picked up the win. 

Oregon State got off to another hot start in Sunday’s series finale. The Beavers scored four in the first to take a quick 4-0 lead. This included an exciting double steal play with Oregon State’s Mikey Kane stealing home. 

Jake Gish put Utah on the board with a solo home run in the second inning. In the sixth inning, Gish and Frei picked up back-to-back walks to start the inning. After loading the bases, Gish scored on a fielder’s choice. Gurney then drove in Frei and Roberts on a single, bringing the Utes up to four runs. This didn’t prove to be enough, as Oregon State’s offense was consistently putting runs on the board throughout the afternoon and the Utes ended up falling 11-4.

Utah has a break from conference play coming up. The Utes host BYU and New Mexico State at Smith’s Ballpark on May 9 and 10. Cal Poly comes to town for a three-game set this weekend as well before the Utes go to Orem on May 16 to take on the Utah Valley Wolverines. 

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