Completed Event: Baseball versus No. 11 seed Kansas State on May 19, 2026 , Loss , 5, to, 9
Final Score
Baseball
5
vs No. 11 seed Kansas State
9
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Baseball Takes Series Opener At BYU
4/19/2001 12:00 AM | Baseball
April 19, 2001
PROVO, Utah - Utah touched Nate Fernley for seven runs in the fifth inning and handed him just his second loss of the season in an 8-7 win over Brigham Young Thursday night at Larry H. Miller Field. It was the opening game of a three-game series between the Utes and Cougars.
Fernley, who fell to 11-2, put the Utes (20-20, 9-10 MWC) down in order the first four innings while his teammates built a 3-0 lead.
Chris Shelton, the reigning Mountain West Player of the Week, led off the top of the fifth with a double. He was the first of five Utes to reach base before a batter was retired. Brit Pannier, the third hitter of the inning, doubled to left center to drive in the first two runs of the game for Utah. Donnie Saba belted a triple down the right field line with one out to bring in Mike Westfall and Tommy Maestas.
Pannier, who went 3-for-4 in the game, hit his eighth home run of the season to right center in the sixth to put Utes in front 8-3. The Cougars (25-16, 13-6 MWC) rallied to get a run back in the bottom of the sixth and score three more in the seventh to make it a one-run game.
Utah starter Travis Palmer threw 6-1/3 innings, giving up seven runs (six earned) off 12 hits while striking out six to improve to 5-3.
After Bret Lindsey got the Utes out of the seventh, Mitch Maio threw the last two innings in relief. He didn't allow a single Cougar to reach base and struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to get his second save on the season.
"Fernley is by far the best pitcher in the conference. He proved that through the first four innings," said Ute head coach Tim Esmay. "Our guys just hung in there, and we hit and run well. The last few weeks we've just worked on our execution. That was a key for us tonight."
Utah has won three of its last four in league play after taking two of three from Air Force last weekend. The Utes are Cougars are scheduled to meet in the second game of the series on Friday at 6:00 p.m. The finale is set for Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
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