SALT LAKE CITY –
Kai Roberts lifted a single to shallow center field in the 10
th inning to score
Matt Flaharty as the Utah baseball team earned a 7-6 walk-off win over New Mexico State on Wednesday night at Smith's Ballpark. Heading into a three-game series with Cal Poly this weekend, the Utes have now won four of their last five games played at home.
Roberts' base hit capped off an inning that saw Flaharty walk with one out, take second on
Bruer Webster's bunt single and sprint to third on a throwing error. Roberts then stepped into the batter's box and took the first pitch for a ball before his walk-off heroics.
Roberts drove in four runs on the night to tie a season-high and Flaharty's three runs scored tied his most as a Ute. Webster had a 3-for-3 night, while
Kaden Carpenter contributed a home run after entering the game as a defensive replacement.
On the mound,
Blake Whiting earned the win after pitching the final two innings, striking out five batters against one run on two hits.
Ernesto Lugo-Canchola received the starting nod and worked two innings before
Randon Hostert relieved him and dealt 3.1 innings of one-run ball. Hostert struck out five.
Cam Day came on for Hostert midway through the sixth inning and struck out four during his 2.2-inning outing, allowing two runs on two hits.
All told, the Utah pitching staff struck out 15 batters; it is the third time this season the Utes have accomplished this and includes Tuesday's game vs. BYU.
New Mexico State hung on to a 2-0 lead after two innings and kept Utah off the board until the fifth. Two singles put Flaharty on third base with one out, allowing him to score on a Roberts ground out and cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Aggies answered with a sac fly in the top of the sixth to regain the two-run lead at 3-1, then used a two-run homer in the seventh to swell their advantage to 5-1.
Roberts produced another RBI groundout in the seventh, this time scoring
Jake Gish, before
Landon Frei followed with an RBI single to bring in Flaharty.
Carpenter led off the eighth with a first-pitch homer over the left field wall to suddenly bring the Utes back within a run.
Dakota Duffalo followed Carpenter with a walk, took second on a wild pitch and moved up to third on a Flaharty sac bunt. The Aggies elected to intentionally walk
Bruer Webster to create a force at any base with one out and pitch to Roberts.
On the ensuing 1-1 pitch, Roberts sent a hard-hit grounder back up the middle, scoring Duffalo with the tying run. Utah was kept to just one run on the play, with credit to the Aggies' shortstop for a nice dive on the edge of the outfield grass.
Frei came up after Roberts and worked a bases-loaded walk to score Gish with what was then the go-ahead run, and give the Utes a 6-5 lead after eight innings.
Despite being down to its last out New Mexico State tied the score at six during the ninth inning. Utah put the winning run on base in the home half, but a double play followed by a groundout ended the threat.
Whiting worked a 1-2-3 inning in the 10
th including two strikeouts, setting the stage for Utah to claim the victory.
The Utes will open their three-game set vs. Cal Poly on Friday at Smith's Ballpark with first pitch coming at 6 p.m. MT.
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