WACO, Texas – The Utah baseball team had eight extra-base hits and belted out 16 hits altogether as the Utes claimed a commanding 13-1 victory over Baylor in their series opener Thursday night at Baylor Ballpark.
Utah never trailed in the ballgame but took charge of the contest with a five-run fifth inning. The top three spots in the batting order combined for 10 hits, 11 RBIs and seven runs scored.
Core Jackson went 4-for-5 with a double, home run and five RBIs while
Tyler Quinn was 3-for-5; each of his hits went for extra bases and drove in a total of five runs. And leadoff man
Austen Roellig had another 3-for-5 performance, doubling once and scoring twice.
Nine-hole hitter
Santino Panaro was clutch with three hits as well, getting the Utes back to the top of the order.
Derek Smith clubbed a solo homer—his fourth of the season—while Jackson and Quinn went back-to-back for their eighth and second homers, respectively. Quinn's five RBIs tied his career-high while the same total for Jackson ties his most in a Utah uniform.
It was the second straight game that Utah tallied 16 hits and fifth in a row—all Big 12 Conference games—that the Utes have recorded double digits in the hit column.
On the mound
Colter McAnelly once again delivered a solid outing, providing seven innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts against two walks and six hits. Only three Bears got past second base all night. It was the fifth time in McAnelly's last six starts that he has struck out at least six batters.
The Utes threatened right out of the gate as Roellig smacked the first pitch of the night to center field for a double to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. But the next three batters were retired as he was stranded in scoring position.
McAnelly worked around a leadoff single in the first and a runner in scoring position in the second inning to get Utah back to the bats for the third.
A two-out rally in the third saw Utah break through. Roellig won an eight-pitch at bat with a single through the right side, then hustled all the way around on a double that Jackson skyed off the wall in right-center field. It was just a couple feet from leaving the yard and grazed near the 375-foot marker. Quinn was next up and followed with his first of two doubles, as Utah took a 2-0 lead.
Baylor would get one back in the home half of the third after a wild pitch.
The fifth inning is where Utah gained some breathing room, posting five runs on five hits.
Matt Flaharty stroked the first pitch of the inning for a double into the right field corner, then Panaro laid down a nice bunt single to put Flaharty on third base. Roellig would put an RBI single through the right side, then Jackson was initially ruled out on a bunt play, but the call was overturned after official review.
It put the bat back in the hands of Quinn with the bases loaded and nobody out. He took advantage of the opportunity, putting the first pitch to the gap in right-center as three runs scored. After the Bears went to the bullpen,
Cameron Gurney entered the game as a pinch hitter and brought in Quinn on a sac fly as Utah took a 7-1 lead.
Then in the sixth with another bases-loaded situation, Jackson went opposite-field and popped a two-run single through the 5-6 hole. Flaharty and Smith would cross the plate, swelling the Utes' advantage to 9-1.
After two quick outs to start the seventh, Smith came up and took the 3-2 pitch over the scoreboard in left center. McAnelly threw six pitches in the home half of that inning to cap off his quality start.
Panaro singled to lead off the eighth, setting the stage for Jackson's two-run blast. The Utes weren't done; Quinn hit a laser over the wall in left-center on a home run that left the ballpark quickly. It was Utah's first time this season hitting back-to-back homers.
Coming on in relief of McAnelly,
Dylan Gazaway worked a quick eighth inning before
Brady Joyner wrapped up the victory with a 1-2-3 ninth—including two strikeouts.
Next Up
Utah and the Bears will be back at Baylor Ballpark on Friday night for the middle game of this series; first pitch will be at 5:30 p.m. MT.
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