Middle Innings Lift No. 20 Arizona Over Utes, 7-6

Thursday, April 14

Salt Lake City, UT

11:00 AM

University of Utah

18-14-1, 5-8

Arizona

24-10, 11-5

Arizona

Utah

Photo by: Bayleigh Schroeder

Middle Innings Lift No. 20 Arizona Over Utes, 7-6

4/14/2022 3:17 PM | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Kiernan drives in three runs to open series for Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah put the tying run aboard in the ninth inning, but the Utes were unable to level the score with No. 20 nationally-ranked Arizona in a 7-6 setback on Thursday afternoon at Smith's Ballpark. The teams will continue their Pac-12 Conference series on Friday in an 11 a.m. MT first pitch.

Utah (18-14-1, 5-8 Pac-12) once again was right in the ballgame down to the end against a nationally-ranked opponent. All three of the Utes' losses to ranked foes this season have come by just one run.

Four Utes registered multi-hit efforts on the day with TJ Clarkson logging a team-high three. Jayden Kiernan had a team-leading three RBI out of the five spot in the lineup, and Chase Anderson contributed a double. Clarkson's day marked his 31^st straight game reaching base safely.

Starting pitcher Matthew Sox (2-2) pitched six innings in his start, allowing seven runs (five earned) on eight hits, walking four batters and striking out two Wildcats in his outing. Zac McCleve dealt two innings of shutout ball from the bullpen, and Micah Ashman allowed just a hit in the ninth inning. Both Ashman and McCleve had a pair of strikeouts.

Arizona put up two runs in the Wildcats' half of the first inning, but the Utes countered with a three-spot in the bottom half. Landon Frei began the sequence working a four-pitch walk, then Anderson followed up with his double and Kiernan went opposite field for a two-run single. Two batters later, Davis Cop laced a base hit on the first pitch to score Kiernan from second base and give the Utes a 3-2 advantage.

The home club added two more runs in the third inning, thanks to an RBI groundout from Alex Baeza, followed up by another single off the bat of Cop to bring Kiernan 90 feet home. It brought the score to 5-2 in favor of Utah.

With the top of the order due up in the fifth inning, Arizona took advantage of an error, base hit and hit batsman to load the bases. Chase Davis then hit a grand slam to put Arizona back in front, 6-5. The Wildcats tacked on one more run in the sixth to go up by two at 7-5.

Utah halved the deficit in the bottom of the seventh, when Kiernan grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Frei on the play.

McCleve worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning on the mound and Ashman allowed just an infield single, sending the Utes back to the bats one more time. Kiernan walked with two outs in the ninth inning, but Utah was unable to move the tying run any further.

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