Utah Drops Heartbreaker at BYU, 5-4
PROVO, Utah – The Utah Baseball team led 4-3 after seven and a half innings of play, but BYU leveled the score at four in the home half of the eighth and popped a two-out, bases-loaded single in the ninth as the Utes fell by a 5-4 score on Tuesday night at Miller Park.
It was the final regular season game between the programs before Utah enters the Big 12 Conference next season.
Utah (26-13) netted all of its runs in the fourth inning, sparked by a leadoff home run by TJ Clarkson. It was Clarkson's eighth home run of the season and his 36th career dinger—the most in the team's Pac-12 Conference era. Core Jackson went 3-for-5 with a double and a pair of RBI, while Drake Digiorno and Kaden Carpenter doubled in the game as well.
On the mound, Jaden Harris went four innings in the start and struck out six BYU batters, against one earned run on a pair of hits and three walks. From there, Jackson Elder came on for 1.2 innings of relief and Brett Porthan followed out of the 'pen with 1.2 innings of his own. Randon Hostert made an appearance in the eighth inning before left-hander Micah Ashman came on for the remainder of the contest.
BYU took a quick 1-0 lead in its half of the first inning after a walk, two stolen bases and a balk. The Cougars added a second run during the second inning, taking advantage of a passed ball.
That score remained after three innings despite doubles from Carpenter and Jackson, but the Utes batted around in a four-run fourth inning to take a 4-2 lead. Clarkson led off the frame, battling back from 0-2 to work the count full and take the payoff pitch to straightaway center for a solo shot.
After two hit batsmen and a walk, Hunter Antillon himself was hit with the bases loaded to bring in Carpenter with another Utah run. Following a BYU pitching change, the Utes' lineup turned over and Jackson laced a two-run single that plated Matt Flaharty and Tyler Quinn for the 4-2 lead.
The Cougars got one back in the bottom of the fifth, on the heels of a Utah error and a wild pitch. Then in the eighth, the home club leveled the score on a one-out double that scored Cooper Vest from first base. Kai Roberts would make an inning-ending catch on the warning track to send the game to the ninth tied at 4-4.
In the top of the eighth, back-to-back two-out singles for the Utes put runners at the corners, but the club was unable to push across the go-ahead run.
BYU used a single, sac bunt, hit batsman and another base hit to take the ballgame in the bottom of the ninth.
Next Up
The Utes return home to Smith's Ballpark for a three-game Pac-12 Conference series against UCLA from April 26-28. First pitch in the series opener will be at 6 p.m. MT on Friday night.
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