After their home opener against BYU was postponed due to inclement weather, the University of Utah baseball team took on the No. 3 ranked team in the nation, the Oregon State Beavers, at home, in a three-game slate that marked the Utes’ first at-home conference series of the season.
Game 1
The first game of the slate, played at Smith’s Ballpark on Friday, March 15, saw a victory slip out of the Utes’ fingers in the final moments of competition.
Through the eighth inning of Friday’s match, the Utes were up 5-2 over the Beavers. Utah started scoring early, as Core Jackson singled to lead off the game, moved to third after a balk and wild pitch, and subsequently scored on a Kai Roberts groundout up the middle.
After Jackson’s leadoff run in the first, Utah continued scoring, tallying another four runs through six innings. Two of which were scored by Roberts, who had a 3-5 hitting effort on the day. Roberts’ first score would come in the second inning after being driven in by a single from infielder Tyler Quinn. Roberts, the outfielder from Skyridge HS scored his second run in the sixth after reaching base on a double and then being driven home by a TJ Clarkson RBI double.
Despite strong offense and a superb pitching effort from starter Merit Jones, who struck out nine batters in six innings, the Utes couldn’t hold on.
After being held to two runs in eight innings, Oregon State woke up and drove in five runs in the ninth. Utah’s star reliever Micah Ashman earned the loss, held accountable for four of the Beaver’s late scores.
Game 2
Utah suffered a similar result in their second game against the Beavers (Saturday, March 16), although this game had a far more unfortunate result.
In game two of the slate, the Utes fell to the Beavers by a score of 8-1. However, despite a relatively lopsided final score, Utah did manage to keep the game close up until the eighth inning.
Utah left-hander Bryson Van Sickle pitched four innings without a score, striking out seven hitters before freshman righty Colter McAnelly filled his place. McAnelly pitched three scoreless innings before giving up a lone run in the eighth.
After walking his first batter and having his second reach base on a fielder’s choice, McAnelly was taken out of the game in favor of Payton Riske. Riske, unable to get out of the jam, surrendered three runs of his own, before righty Bransen Kuehl entered the game and gave up an additional three runs before ending the ill-fated inning.
Despite an unfortunate eighth inning defensively, and being held scoreless until the ninth, Utah did manage to obtain seven total hits. Both Jackson and Kaden Carpenter had multi-hit games, going 2-4 from the batter’s box. Additionally, pinch hitter Cameron Gurney drove in the Utes’ lone run, with Matt Flaharty crossing home for the score to get rid of the Utes’ goose egg.
Game 3
The Utes saved their best for last, winning their final game against Oregon State in a thrilling 14-11 comeback win.
After giving up nine runs through the first three innings of play, Utah slowly climbed out of their heavy deficit, culminating in an explosive four-run seventh inning to seal a hard-fought victory.
In total, Utah’s batters only struck out five times, earning a whopping 16 hits after being held hitless through the first three innings of play. An impressive seven Utah batters recorded a multi-hit game.
Even more impressive was the Utes’ small ball, as not a single home run was recorded by Utah despite 16 total hits.
Jackson was the first Ute to score early in the fourth inning. The shortstop’s initial score began a landslide, as the Utes reached home plate five more times in the fourth. Second to cross home plate was Roberts, who scored from second thanks to a Drake Digiorno single to left field.
Carpenter added to the Utes’ fourth-inning hit party, bringing Digiorno and Michael Davinni home on a single to center, cutting Utah’s deficit to five runs. Left fielder Dakota Duffalo then had an additional RBI, before Flaharty ended the inning with an RBI double that scored Carpenter and put the Utes within striking distance 6-9.
Utah gave up a lone run in the top of the fifth inning, before scoring seven runs unanswered through the seventh inning.
In the seventh, Carpenter’s second hit of the day again drove in Davinni, tying the Utes and Beavers 10-10. In the end, it was Flaharty, who laced a 0-2 count, bases loaded, double into center field, scoring all three Utes on base. Jackson drove home a final insurance run, putting the Utes up 14-10 at the end of the seventh.
In the eighth and ninth, the Beavers attempted to crawl their way back to no avail. Ashman finally closed the door, earning his fifth save of the year forcing three Oregon State flyouts.
Right-hander, Randon Hostert (3-1) earned the win, entering the game in relief of starter Brett Porthan. Hostert pitched three innings, struck out four batters, and only gave up one run.
Looking Ahead
Utah will have a quick turnaround, staying in Salt Lake City and facing off against Northern Colorado in a two-game nonconference series that begins on Tuesday, March 19th.
