Upcoming Event: Baseball versus Vanderbilt on October 10, 2025 at 4 p.m.
4 p.m.
Baseball
vs Vanderbilt
Sunday, March 10
Pullman, WA
1:05 PM
University of Utah
11-4, 2-1
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6
Washington State
8-6, 1-2
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5
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9
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H
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Utah
1
0
3
0
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0
1
2
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7
12
0
Washington State
3
0
2
0
0
0
0
1
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6
10
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TJ Clarkson celebrates in the dugout during Utah's rubber game win at Washington State. (Dean Hare/WSU Athletics)
Utah Baseball Takes Rubber Game from WSU, 7-6
3/10/2024 7:20 PM | Baseball
Utes win second consecutive one-run game to clinch Pac-12 opening series
PULLMAN, Wash. – Thanks in part to a rally in the late innings, the Utah Baseball team (11-4, 2-1 Pac-12) defeated Washington State, 7-6, in the rubber game of both teams' first Pac-12 series on Sunday at Bailey-Brayton Field. The Utes used a three-hit and a two-RBI effort day by Kai Roberts to help ignite the offense, including a game-tying RBI single in the seventh inning.
Roberts finished the day 3-for-5 with a solo home run also part of his line for the day. He finished the series hitting .545 (6-for-11) with a double, three homers, five RBI and a stolen base.
Drake Digiorno contributed a two-hit day out of the cleanup spot with an RBI double, while Dakota Duffalo capped off a two-hit performance of his own with an RBI single in the eighth inning—giving the Utes what was then an insurance run but proved to be the difference in the game. Bruer Webster went 2-for-4 out of the nine-hole and scored a run as well.
On the mound, Randon Hostert (2-1) relieved starter Brett Porthan and picked up the win with four innings of work. Hostert allowed just a run and two hits, walking none and striking out two Cougars. Jaden Harris retired all three batters he faced in the eighth, before southpaw closer Micah Ashman induced groundballs on all three batters he faced in the ninth inning.
The close-out performance gave Ashman his second save in as many days and fourth of the season, tying him for the Pac-12 lead with Stanford's Toran O'Harran. It also bumped Ashman's career total to 13 saves, giving him sole possession of third-most in recorded history at Utah.
Utah got second life during in the first inning - after what would have been an inning-ending play at the plate. Drake Digiorno doubled off the wall in left, bringing around Core Jackson who started the game with a leadoff bunt single to third. Jackson raced from first to home, being called out on the field initially, eventually tallying Utah's first run after a replay review overturned the call. The Cougars returned the blow in the bottom half of the opener, plating three runs of their own to get the contest started.
Two homers in the top of the third, coming off the bats of Roberts and TJ Clarkson allowed Utah to regain the lead, 4-3. Roberts went opposite field for a leadoff solo shot, his third home run of the series and fourth of the season. Then with two away, attacking the 0-2 count, Clarkson smacked a two-run dinger over the fence in right center, to put Utah back on top by a 4-3 score.
Washington State would take back the lead in the bottom half of the inning, scoring a pair of runs. The Cougars would hit a deep shot of their own to get the inning started, before taking back the lead, 5-4, with the two-out RBI single.
After four shutdown innings on defense, Utah found a spark on offense in the seventh. Webster would get the inning started with an infield single to the left side, advancing on a wild pitch. Roberts would come up with the clutch one-out single down the line in left, knotting the game up, 5-5.
Utah added two more in the eighth, starting with a pinch-hit triple from Kaden Carpenter and bringing around Clarkson. After a Washington State pitching change, Duffalo drove in the seventh and final Utah run, putting the 0-2 pitch back up the middle for a single, allowing Carpenter to trot home easily.
The Cougars got one run back in the bottom of the eighth, with a solo homer clearing the wall in straightaway center.
Harris and Ashman shut down the Cougars through the final two innings. Neither allowed a hit, with Harris striking out one and Ashman recording his fourth save of the season.
Next Up
A rivalry matchup awaits the Utes as the team hosts BYU on Tuesday for Opening Day at Smith's Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT.
Buy Your Tickets! | Click Here
Single-game tickets are now on sale for the entirety of Utah's 2024 home schedule at Smith's Ballpark. Season ticket hats have sold out.
Twenty-five games are on the schedule in Salt Lake City, with Opening Day set for Tuesday, March 12, when BYU makes the trip up I-15.
Fans can contact the Utah Athletics Ticket Office via phone with questions at (801) 581-8849.
Follow Utah Baseball
Follow the Utes on social media (@utahbaseball).
Roberts finished the day 3-for-5 with a solo home run also part of his line for the day. He finished the series hitting .545 (6-for-11) with a double, three homers, five RBI and a stolen base.
Drake Digiorno contributed a two-hit day out of the cleanup spot with an RBI double, while Dakota Duffalo capped off a two-hit performance of his own with an RBI single in the eighth inning—giving the Utes what was then an insurance run but proved to be the difference in the game. Bruer Webster went 2-for-4 out of the nine-hole and scored a run as well.
On the mound, Randon Hostert (2-1) relieved starter Brett Porthan and picked up the win with four innings of work. Hostert allowed just a run and two hits, walking none and striking out two Cougars. Jaden Harris retired all three batters he faced in the eighth, before southpaw closer Micah Ashman induced groundballs on all three batters he faced in the ninth inning.
The close-out performance gave Ashman his second save in as many days and fourth of the season, tying him for the Pac-12 lead with Stanford's Toran O'Harran. It also bumped Ashman's career total to 13 saves, giving him sole possession of third-most in recorded history at Utah.
Utah got second life during in the first inning - after what would have been an inning-ending play at the plate. Drake Digiorno doubled off the wall in left, bringing around Core Jackson who started the game with a leadoff bunt single to third. Jackson raced from first to home, being called out on the field initially, eventually tallying Utah's first run after a replay review overturned the call. The Cougars returned the blow in the bottom half of the opener, plating three runs of their own to get the contest started.
Two homers in the top of the third, coming off the bats of Roberts and TJ Clarkson allowed Utah to regain the lead, 4-3. Roberts went opposite field for a leadoff solo shot, his third home run of the series and fourth of the season. Then with two away, attacking the 0-2 count, Clarkson smacked a two-run dinger over the fence in right center, to put Utah back on top by a 4-3 score.
Washington State would take back the lead in the bottom half of the inning, scoring a pair of runs. The Cougars would hit a deep shot of their own to get the inning started, before taking back the lead, 5-4, with the two-out RBI single.
After four shutdown innings on defense, Utah found a spark on offense in the seventh. Webster would get the inning started with an infield single to the left side, advancing on a wild pitch. Roberts would come up with the clutch one-out single down the line in left, knotting the game up, 5-5.
Utah added two more in the eighth, starting with a pinch-hit triple from Kaden Carpenter and bringing around Clarkson. After a Washington State pitching change, Duffalo drove in the seventh and final Utah run, putting the 0-2 pitch back up the middle for a single, allowing Carpenter to trot home easily.
The Cougars got one run back in the bottom of the eighth, with a solo homer clearing the wall in straightaway center.
Harris and Ashman shut down the Cougars through the final two innings. Neither allowed a hit, with Harris striking out one and Ashman recording his fourth save of the season.
Next Up
A rivalry matchup awaits the Utes as the team hosts BYU on Tuesday for Opening Day at Smith's Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT.
Buy Your Tickets! | Click Here
Single-game tickets are now on sale for the entirety of Utah's 2024 home schedule at Smith's Ballpark. Season ticket hats have sold out.
Twenty-five games are on the schedule in Salt Lake City, with Opening Day set for Tuesday, March 12, when BYU makes the trip up I-15.
Fans can contact the Utah Athletics Ticket Office via phone with questions at (801) 581-8849.
Follow Utah Baseball
Follow the Utes on social media (@utahbaseball).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hostert, Randon (2-1)
L: Brotherton, Duke (1-1)
S: Ashman, Micah (4)
Batting:
2B: Digiorno, Drake 2
3B: Carpenter, Kaden 1
HR: Roberts, Kai 1 ; Clarkson, TJ 1
RBI: Roberts, Kai 2 ; Digiorno, Drake 1 ; Clarkson, TJ 2 ; Carpenter, Kaden 1 ; Duffalo, Dakota 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jackson, Core 1 ; Roberts, Kai 1 ; Davinni, Michael 1 ; Clarkson, TJ 2 ; Carpenter, Kaden 1 ; Webster, Bruer 1
SB: Roberts, Kai 1
CS: Duffalo, Dakota 1
HBP: Davinni, Michael 1
Batting:
2B: Cramer, Cole 1
HR: Morrow, Jacob 1 ; Kramer, Joey 1
RBI: Morrow, Jacob 3 ; Kramer, Joey 1 ; Cramer, Cole 1 ; Parke, Crew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Russell, Kyle 1 ; Shibley, Alan 1 ; Morrow, Jacob 2 ; Kramer, Joey 1 ; Cramer, Cole 1
SB: Hartman, Max 1
HBP: Swarts, Nate 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
LHP
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RHP
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RHP
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