SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah baseball team belted out 17 hits including a home run for
Tyler Quinn and the first collegiate triple for
Derek Smith, but a late Kansas rally saw the visitors score eight runs in the final three innings as the Utes fell 12-11 on Sunday at Smith's Ballpark.
Cameron Gurney went 3-for-3 and walked once, tying career-highs both with three hits and three runs scored.
Austen Roellig was 3-for-3 as well, driving in a pair of runs and scoring once before exiting the game. Between Roellig and Quinn, the No. 3 spot in the Utah batting order combined to go 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and a pair of runs scored.
Santino Panaro,
Kaden Carpenter,
Jake Long and Smith each had multi-hit performances. Panaro doubled while Carpenter and Smith had a triple apiece.
The Utes' bats started off strong in the first inning, bouncing right back from two quick runs scored by Kansas in the opening frame. Panaro set the tone with a leadoff double, later scoring on back-to-back wild pitches.
Core Jackson kept the momentum building, reaching on a hit by pitch and getting into scoring position on another wild pitch. Roellig then stepped up and delivered an RBI single through the right side as Jackson scored the tying run.
Still with nobody out, Carpenter followed with a base hit into left center field, then
Drake Digiorno had a nicely-placed that created a tough play for the Kansas pitcher and resulted in a single. Roellig scored on the play to put Utah ahead 3-2 after one inning.
In the second inning Kansas scored two more runs, however Utah continued to apply pressure with its offense. Panaro drew a four-pitch walk, stole second and scored on a clutch single from Roellig. It tied the score at 4-4 through two innings.
Utah took its first lead of the game in the third, as Long put an RBI single into left field, taking second on the throw to the plate. A little more small ball gave the Utes an insurance run as
Matt Flaharty laid down a sacrifice to score Long with Utah's sixth run of the contest.
The clubs traded runs throughout the middle innings, highlighted for the Utes on another RBI single for Long plus Quinn's solo shot onto the berm in left field. In the bottom of the seventh, Smith's triple hit off the top of the wall in right center field, bouncing back into the ballpark and bringing Gurney home with his third run of the game. Panaro added a one-out single to score Smith and bring the score to 10-7 Utah through seven innings.
But the Jayhawks roared back in the eighth, taking advantage of a Utah error. A grand slam capped off the five-run inning for Kansas as the lead suddenly shifted to 12-10 in favor of the visitors. Gurney laced his third hit of the day in the bottom of the eighth, scoring Carpenter and cutting the deficit in half.
Lucas Boesen worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth inning and got Utah one last opportunity with the bats. Flaharty got aboard with an infield single to put the tying run on base but that would be all for the Utes as the series came to a close.
Dylan Gazaway received the starting nod on the mound for Utah, tossing 4.1 innings before the Utes went to the bullpen. All told, six pitchers saw game action for the home team.
Cameron Nielson (2-4) received the loss.
Next Up
Idle on the midweek scene due to final exams, the Utes return to game action on Friday, May 2, kicking off a three-game Big 12 series at Houston.
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