Completed Event: Baseball versus Vanderbilt on October 10, 2025 ,
Final Score
Baseball
vs Vanderbilt
Friday, April 28
Salt Lake City, UT
6:00 PM
University of Utah
16-24-1, 5-16-1
6
vs
3
Washington State
25-15, 7-11
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Washington State
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
3
8
3
Utah
0
1
0
2
0
0
2
1
X
6
9
0
Photo by: Rob Gray
Clarkson, Kiernan Homers Lift Utes Over Washington State
4/28/2023 10:32 PM | Baseball
Utah takes 6-3 series opener on Friday night at Smith’s Ballpark
SALT LAKE CITY – Sparked by back-to-back homers off the bats of TJ Clarkson and Jayden Kiernan in the seventh inning, the Utah baseball team broke a 3-3 tie and went on to defeat Washington State by a 6-3 score on Friday night in the series opener at Smith's Ballpark.
Utah and the Cougars will play the middle game of the series on Saturday, returning to Smith's Ballpark at 2 p.m. MT. The first 300 fans through the gates will receive a free pair of Utah-themed sunglasses, and everyone is encouraged to bring their gloves and a baseball to participate in a postgame catch in the outfield.
Clarkson now has 12 home runs on the year, his most in a season and the most by a Utah player since C.J. Cron clubbed 15 during the 2011 season. His back-to-back homers with Kiernan were the first such feat by the Utes since Clarkson and Davis Cop went yard in succession on February 27 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Zac McCleve picked up the win out of the bullpen with a two-inning outing, striking out three along the way. Keeping with a pattern of late, southpaw Micah Ashman came on behind McCleve with one out in the eighth inning and carried the Utes the rest of the way with just a hit allowed against three strikeouts—including the final two batters of the game. In the end, Ashman secured his seventh save of the season; it's the most by a Ute since 2018 and most by a lefty since 2016.
Bryson Van Sickle struck out five batters in his 5.1-inning start, receiving a no-decision.
At the plate for Utah, Cameron Gurney tied a career-high with three hits, highlighted by Gurney's sixth double of the year. Landon Frei (2-for-4) and Bruer Webster (1-for-2) also had two-baggers, while Gurney scored twice in the early innings.
Washington State took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a wild pitch with runners at second and third, but Van Sickle later got Utah out of the inning with a strikeout. The Utes would equalize in the home half of the second when Kai Roberts hit a grounder to short that allowed Gurney to come in from third base.
Thanks in part to two Cougars errors, Utah was able to pull in front during the fourth inning. Matt Flaharty laid down a would-be sac bunt, reaching when the throw to first base went over the bag and allowing Gurney to take third base. Webster then laid down another bunt down the first base line that went as a sacrifice, but brought in Gurney with his second run of the night. Then Roberts reached on a miscue that skipped into right field and scored Flaharty for the 3-1 advantage.
In the fifth and sixth WSU scored one run apiece to get even at three-all.
The 3-3 score remained until the home half of the seventh. Cop led off with a fly ball that took the center fielder to the warning track for out number one, then Clarkson stepped into the box and sent the 0-2 offering 430 feet to the berm in right center field. Kiernan then clubbed the first pitch he saw out to the batter's eye in straightaway center, measuring 433 feet for Kiernan's second long ball of the season.
Utah picked up a key insurance run in the eighth, as Webster led off with a double down the third base line. He moved 90 feet on a Dakota Duffalo sacrifice bunt and scored on a wild pitch.
McCleve worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning, then he and Ashman combined to retire WSU in order in the eighth. Ashman surrendered a double to lead off the ninth, but countered with a groundout and two K's to end the ballgame.
Follow Utah baseball on social media (@utahbaseball).
Utah and the Cougars will play the middle game of the series on Saturday, returning to Smith's Ballpark at 2 p.m. MT. The first 300 fans through the gates will receive a free pair of Utah-themed sunglasses, and everyone is encouraged to bring their gloves and a baseball to participate in a postgame catch in the outfield.
Clarkson now has 12 home runs on the year, his most in a season and the most by a Utah player since C.J. Cron clubbed 15 during the 2011 season. His back-to-back homers with Kiernan were the first such feat by the Utes since Clarkson and Davis Cop went yard in succession on February 27 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Zac McCleve picked up the win out of the bullpen with a two-inning outing, striking out three along the way. Keeping with a pattern of late, southpaw Micah Ashman came on behind McCleve with one out in the eighth inning and carried the Utes the rest of the way with just a hit allowed against three strikeouts—including the final two batters of the game. In the end, Ashman secured his seventh save of the season; it's the most by a Ute since 2018 and most by a lefty since 2016.
Bryson Van Sickle struck out five batters in his 5.1-inning start, receiving a no-decision.
At the plate for Utah, Cameron Gurney tied a career-high with three hits, highlighted by Gurney's sixth double of the year. Landon Frei (2-for-4) and Bruer Webster (1-for-2) also had two-baggers, while Gurney scored twice in the early innings.
Washington State took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a wild pitch with runners at second and third, but Van Sickle later got Utah out of the inning with a strikeout. The Utes would equalize in the home half of the second when Kai Roberts hit a grounder to short that allowed Gurney to come in from third base.
Thanks in part to two Cougars errors, Utah was able to pull in front during the fourth inning. Matt Flaharty laid down a would-be sac bunt, reaching when the throw to first base went over the bag and allowing Gurney to take third base. Webster then laid down another bunt down the first base line that went as a sacrifice, but brought in Gurney with his second run of the night. Then Roberts reached on a miscue that skipped into right field and scored Flaharty for the 3-1 advantage.
In the fifth and sixth WSU scored one run apiece to get even at three-all.
The 3-3 score remained until the home half of the seventh. Cop led off with a fly ball that took the center fielder to the warning track for out number one, then Clarkson stepped into the box and sent the 0-2 offering 430 feet to the berm in right center field. Kiernan then clubbed the first pitch he saw out to the batter's eye in straightaway center, measuring 433 feet for Kiernan's second long ball of the season.
Utah picked up a key insurance run in the eighth, as Webster led off with a double down the third base line. He moved 90 feet on a Dakota Duffalo sacrifice bunt and scored on a wild pitch.
McCleve worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning, then he and Ashman combined to retire WSU in order in the eighth. Ashman surrendered a double to lead off the ninth, but countered with a groundout and two K's to end the ballgame.
Follow Utah baseball on social media (@utahbaseball).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: McCleve, Zac (1-1)
L: Wilford, Connor (2-2)
S: Ashman, Micah (7)
Batting:
2B: Russell, Kyle 1 ; Harvey, Jake 1
HR: Swarts, Nate 1
RBI: Russell, Kyle 1 ; Swarts, Nate 1
SH: Harvey, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McKeon, Jacob 1 ; Harvey, Jake 1 ; Swarts, Nate 1
SB: Hainline, Elijah 1
CS: Brown, Sam 1
PO: Advincula, Jonah 1
Batting:
2B: Frei, Landon 1 ; Gurney, Cameron 1 ; Webster, Bruer 1
HR: Clarkson, TJ 1 ; Kiernan, Jayden 1
RBI: Roberts, Kai 1 ; Clarkson, TJ 1 ; Kiernan, Jayden 1 ; Webster, Bruer 1
SH: Duffalo, Dakota 1 ; Webster, Bruer 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Clarkson, TJ 1 ; Kiernan, Jayden 1 ; Gurney, Cameron 2 ; Flaharty, Matt 1 ; Webster, Bruer 1
SB: Roberts, Kai 1
HBP: Cop, Davis 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
LHP
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OF
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INF
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RHP
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OF
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LHP
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INF
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