STANFORD, Calif. – Utah tied a season-high with 16 hits and took the lead on No. 7 Stanford in the sixth inning, but a seven-run home half of the frame put the Cardinal ahead as the Utes fell in the series finale, 16-8, on Monday afternoon in the series finale at Sunken Diamond.
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Utah now turns its focus to a three-game series with conference foe USC, with the series running Friday through Sunday, March 31-April 2. First pitch in the series opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT at Smith's Ballpark.
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TJ Clarkson (3-for-5) eclipsed 100 career hits during the game, a highlight of four Utah players in the lineup with three-hit performances. It also included
Cameron Gurney (3-for-4),
Dakota Duffalo (3-for-4) and
Bruer Webster (3-for-5) with the hit totals tying season-highs for all four Utes. Clarkson's line extended his team-leading on-base streak to 20 consecutive games.
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Starting pitcher
Merit Jones received a no-decision, despite exiting the game in line for the win with five-plus innings on the bump. He was responsible for four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out a pair of Cardinal.
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Stanford broke the ice with two runs in the second inning, before Utah got one back in the visiting half of the fourth. Clarkson led off the inning with a base hit to right center field, moved to third on a couple infield grounders, then scored when Gurney snuck a tapper through the left side.
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The 2-1 score remained until the fifth inning when the Utes were able to equalize. Webster started the frame with a base hit, moved up when a back-pick skipped down the first base line, then took third base on a Duffalo single. He scored when
Landon Frei skied a fly ball to deep right center, plenty deep for Webster to come in on the sacrifice fly and tie the score at two.
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In the bottom of the fifth the Cardinal pulled back in front on a sac fly from Braden Montgomery, moving the score to 3-2.
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But that lead was short-lived for the home club as Utah sent seven men to bat in the sixth, earning three runs.
Kaden Carpenter was hit by a pitch to lead off, then
Matt Flaharty sprinted down the line to beat out a bunt single. A wild pitch put the pair in scoring position, setting the stage for Webster's two-run knock into center field. Two batters later, Frei laced a single to center to score Webster and extend the Utes' lead to 5-3.
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Stanford used a seven-run sixth and a three-spot in the seventh to put the game away. Utah did post three more runs in the game, via a Carpenter double in the seventh then two more in the eighth following a Cardinal error.
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Blake Whiting (0-2) received the loss for Utah.
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