Upcoming Event: Baseball versus Vanderbilt on October 10, 2025 at 4 p.m.
4 p.m.
Baseball
vs Vanderbilt
Sunday, February 23
La Jolla, Calif. / Triton Ballpark
6 p.m.
University of Utah
6-1
8
at
9
UC San Diego
4-3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Utah
0
0
0
3
2
0
3
0
0
8
10
0
UC San Diego
0
0
2
0
0
4
1
2
X
9
12
2
Late Push Lifts UC San Diego Past Utes
2/23/2025 10:42 PM | Baseball
Utah takes first loss of season
SAN DIEGO – The Utah baseball team (6-1) was dealt its first loss of the 2025 season as the Utes fell to UC San Diego 9-8 on Sunday night at Triton Ballpark.
It was a back-and-forth game in which three Utes had multi-hit performances and four members of the team either scored or drove in multiple runs. Utah put the tying run at third base with one out in the ninth, but UC San Diego closed out the ballgame with a strikeout and fly ball.
Core Jackson, Tyler Quinn and Austen Roellig each had two hits in the game while Quinn had two doubles totaling three RBI. Derek Smith hit his first collegiate home run and both Matt Flaharty and Jake Long scored twice each.
Flaharty (7) and Santino Panaro (6) extended their respective hitting streaks tonight as well.
Merit Jones went five innings in the start, striking out six and receiving a no-decision. Jones plus four bullpen arms combined for 12 strikeouts as a team.
The Utes were aided by some defensive heroics early to keep the game scoreless. Michael Crossland of UC San Diego led off the second inning, sending a fly ball to deep right-center field as Crossland looked to have earned extra bases. But Kaden Carpenter hustled toward the warning track and made a diving catch as the score remained 0-0.
Utah had an opportunity in the third to get on the board after a one-out triple from Panaro, but he was stranded there.
In the home half of the third, the Tritons broke the ice with a two-run homer over the right field wall. But Smith answered with a long ball of his own in the fourth, putting the Utes in front 3-2.
Long helped set the stage for Smith with a base hit, then Roellig worked a two-out walk before Smith tucked the first pitch inside the left field foul pole.
An inning later, Utah swelled the advantage to 5-2. Cal Kilgore was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, taking second on a nicely-placed bunt from Flaharty. Each moved up 90 feet on a deep fly ball from Jackson, then Quinn smacked a one-out double to score the pair.
UC San Diego briefly pulled in front with a four-run sixth, but the Utes brought the score to 6-6 in the visiting half of the seventh. A weird sequence resulted in Flaharty reaching via an error to begin the inning. He moved into scoring position on a groundout and would score when Quinn's second double of the night took a wicked hop over the third baseman.
Three batters later, Roellig laced an RBI single into the outfield that was booted and allowed another Utah run to score. Both Quinn and Long scored on the play as the visitors pulled in front 8-6.
But the Tritons would close the game with the final three runs, including a two-run single in the eighth to bring the score to 9-8 for the home club.
Dillon Fine (0-1) received the loss for Utah.
Next Up
Utah has one final game on deck for this road trip, coming up Monday against Long Beach State at 1 p.m. MT. Though technically not part of the Tony Gwynn Legacy series, the game will be played at Tony Gwynn Stadium on the campus of San Diego State.
Monday's game will not be video streamed, but the @utahbaseball social media accounts will provide a steady stream of updates throughout the ballgame.
Follow Utah Baseball
Follow Utah baseball on social media (@utahbaseball).
It was a back-and-forth game in which three Utes had multi-hit performances and four members of the team either scored or drove in multiple runs. Utah put the tying run at third base with one out in the ninth, but UC San Diego closed out the ballgame with a strikeout and fly ball.
Core Jackson, Tyler Quinn and Austen Roellig each had two hits in the game while Quinn had two doubles totaling three RBI. Derek Smith hit his first collegiate home run and both Matt Flaharty and Jake Long scored twice each.
Flaharty (7) and Santino Panaro (6) extended their respective hitting streaks tonight as well.
Merit Jones went five innings in the start, striking out six and receiving a no-decision. Jones plus four bullpen arms combined for 12 strikeouts as a team.
The Utes were aided by some defensive heroics early to keep the game scoreless. Michael Crossland of UC San Diego led off the second inning, sending a fly ball to deep right-center field as Crossland looked to have earned extra bases. But Kaden Carpenter hustled toward the warning track and made a diving catch as the score remained 0-0.
Utah had an opportunity in the third to get on the board after a one-out triple from Panaro, but he was stranded there.
In the home half of the third, the Tritons broke the ice with a two-run homer over the right field wall. But Smith answered with a long ball of his own in the fourth, putting the Utes in front 3-2.
Long helped set the stage for Smith with a base hit, then Roellig worked a two-out walk before Smith tucked the first pitch inside the left field foul pole.
An inning later, Utah swelled the advantage to 5-2. Cal Kilgore was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, taking second on a nicely-placed bunt from Flaharty. Each moved up 90 feet on a deep fly ball from Jackson, then Quinn smacked a one-out double to score the pair.
UC San Diego briefly pulled in front with a four-run sixth, but the Utes brought the score to 6-6 in the visiting half of the seventh. A weird sequence resulted in Flaharty reaching via an error to begin the inning. He moved into scoring position on a groundout and would score when Quinn's second double of the night took a wicked hop over the third baseman.
Three batters later, Roellig laced an RBI single into the outfield that was booted and allowed another Utah run to score. Both Quinn and Long scored on the play as the visitors pulled in front 8-6.
But the Tritons would close the game with the final three runs, including a two-run single in the eighth to bring the score to 9-8 for the home club.
Dillon Fine (0-1) received the loss for Utah.
Next Up
Utah has one final game on deck for this road trip, coming up Monday against Long Beach State at 1 p.m. MT. Though technically not part of the Tony Gwynn Legacy series, the game will be played at Tony Gwynn Stadium on the campus of San Diego State.
Monday's game will not be video streamed, but the @utahbaseball social media accounts will provide a steady stream of updates throughout the ballgame.
Follow Utah Baseball
Follow Utah baseball on social media (@utahbaseball).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Davidson, Garrett (1-0)
L: Fine, Dillon (0-1)
S: King, Devon (1)
Batting:
2B: Jackson, Core 1 ; Quinn, Tyler 2
3B: Panaro, Santino 1
HR: Smith, Derek 1
RBI: Quinn, Tyler 3 ; Roellig, Austen 1 ; Smith, Derek 3
SH: Quinn, Tyler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Flaharty, Matt 2 ; Quinn, Tyler 1 ; Long, Jake 2 ; Roellig, Austen 1 ; Smith, Derek 1 ; Kilgore, Cal 1
SB: Panaro, Santino 1
CS: Jackson, Core 1 ; Kilgore, Cal 1
HBP: Kilgore, Cal 1
Batting:
2B: Hackworth, Patrick 1 ; Lazuka, Noah 1 ; Martinez, Trevian 1
3B: Leopard, Alex 1
HR: Leopard, Alex 1
RBI: Hackworth, Patrick 2 ; Lazuka, Noah 1 ; Leopard, Alex 3 ; Camacho, Gabe 2 ; Martinez, Trevian 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hackworth, Patrick 1 ; Lazuka, Noah 3 ; Leopard, Alex 2 ; Gonzalez, Emiliano 1 ; Allen, J.C. 1 ; Martinez, Trevian 1
HBP: Camacho, Gabe 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
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/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
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OF
/ BaseballINF
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C
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