Upcoming Event: Baseball versus Kansas State on March 29, 2026 at 1 p.m.
1 p.m.
Baseball
vs Kansas State
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The University of Utah Athletics
Saturday, March 28
Salt Lake City, Utah
2 p.m.
University of Utah
14-10, 4-4
13
vs
11
Kansas State
18-9, 18-9
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
8th innning8
9th innning9
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Kansas State
0
0
0
6
1
1
0
3
0
11
13
0
Utah
1
3
0
1
0
0
3
5
X
13
21
0
Derek Smith (26) and teammates celebrate following Smith's second home run in as many at bats.
Photo by: Sophia Kuder/Utah Athletics
Total Team Effort and Late Heroics Even Up K-State Series
3/28/2026 7:01 PM | Baseball
Smith and Miller combine for three homers, Utah erases eighth-inning deficit in 13-11 win
SALT LAKE CITY – Trailing 11-8 in the eighth inning, the Utah baseball team erupted for five runs in the bottom of the frame and held on to defeat Kansas State 13-11 and even up the three-game series Saturday on Charlie Monfort Field at America First Ballpark.
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Utah led 4-0 after two innings but K-State hung a six-spot in the fourth inning, setting the tone for a back-and-forth ballgame. The Utes were behind 8-5 at seventh inning stretch before back-to-back home runs from Cal Miller and pinch hitter Derek Smith evened the score at eight-all.
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The Wildcats hit a pair of dingers in the eighth as the visitors pulled back in front by three runs.
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Utah wasted no time chipping away in its half of the eighth, beginning the inning with a first-pitch single from Cameron Gurney. Pinch hitter Bradley Navarro doubled to put Gurney on third base, then Luke Jacobs put a base hit into center field as Gurney scored and cut the deficit to 11-9. Zakye Hawkins was next up and laid down a bunt, but the Wildcats came home and Navarro was out at the plate on the safety squeeze play.
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Miller came up again and worked the count to 3-1 before launching an RBI double to right field, scoring Jacobs and moving the score to 11-10 in K-State's favor. The Wildcats made a pitching change with Smith next to hit. When play resumed, he took a strike and crushed a 414-foot, three-run homer to give Utah a 13-11 lead and send the crowd into a frenzy.
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The job wasn't done, though; the Utes still had to close it out in the ninth. Ian Lenius came on to relieve Kaden Soder and tossed a 1-2-3 frame for his first save as a member of the Utah program.
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Overall for the day, the teams combined for 34 hits—including 21 for Utah. The 21-hit performance marked Utah's highest offensive output since March 2, 2025, against UC Riverside, as the Utes used explosive bats and clutch hitting in their late surge, securing the win.
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Eleven different Utah players had a hit with six multi-hit performances in the lineup. Gurney was a perfect 4-for-4 for his first four-hit game at Utah, while Jake Long and Daniel Arambula each were 3-for-6.
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Smith had a season-high four RBIs by way of his two dingers—marking the first multi-homer game this season by a Utah player. His first home run in the seventh inning was in a pinch hit situation and followed a two-run shot from Miller.
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Not to be lost in the shuffle was that Smith was catching in the bullpen when the inning began. He hustled to the dugout during a K-State pitching change, and with the clock ticking down for play to resume, his teammates jumped in NASCAR pit crew style to help remove his catcher's gear just in time to step in the batter's box and club a 479-foot homer. It was the longest home run hit in the young history of America First Ballpark.
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Utah jumped out to an early lead in the first inning when Gurney delivered an RBI single to score Arambula with the game's first run. The Utes added to their lead in the second, putting together a three-run frame highlighted by a two-run double from Jet Gilliam and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch from Nevan Noonan to take a 4-0 lead.
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Kansas State answered strongly, swinging momentum with a six-run fourth inning to take its first lead of the game at 6-4. They tacked on two more runs in the fifth and sixth, extending their lead.
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The back-to-back jacks from Miller and Smith in the seventh inning marked the first time the Utes have gone back-to-back since Core Jackson and Tyler Quinn accomplished the feat against Baylor on April 17, 2025. Smith's home run marked Utah's first pinch-hit home run since Christopher Rowan Jr. against California on March 27, 2021.
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Miller (3) and Gilliam (2) each drove in multiple runs.
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On the mound, Soder (1-0) earned the win in relief, navigating a high-leverage situation late in the game. Lenius secured the save, tossing a scoreless ninth inning to shut the door on Kansas State.
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Combined between both teams, there were seven home runs hit in the game.
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Next Up
A rubber game is on deck for Utah and Kansas State and the teams will settle the series on Sunday, with first pitch at 1 p.m. MT inside America First Ballpark.
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As with all Sunday home games, kids are welcome to come down on the field postgame to run the bases.
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Follow Utah Baseball
Keep up with the Utes by following @utahbaseball and by visiting www.UtahUtes.com. Download the Utah 360 app here.
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Utah led 4-0 after two innings but K-State hung a six-spot in the fourth inning, setting the tone for a back-and-forth ballgame. The Utes were behind 8-5 at seventh inning stretch before back-to-back home runs from Cal Miller and pinch hitter Derek Smith evened the score at eight-all.
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The Wildcats hit a pair of dingers in the eighth as the visitors pulled back in front by three runs.
Â
Utah wasted no time chipping away in its half of the eighth, beginning the inning with a first-pitch single from Cameron Gurney. Pinch hitter Bradley Navarro doubled to put Gurney on third base, then Luke Jacobs put a base hit into center field as Gurney scored and cut the deficit to 11-9. Zakye Hawkins was next up and laid down a bunt, but the Wildcats came home and Navarro was out at the plate on the safety squeeze play.
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Miller came up again and worked the count to 3-1 before launching an RBI double to right field, scoring Jacobs and moving the score to 11-10 in K-State's favor. The Wildcats made a pitching change with Smith next to hit. When play resumed, he took a strike and crushed a 414-foot, three-run homer to give Utah a 13-11 lead and send the crowd into a frenzy.
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The job wasn't done, though; the Utes still had to close it out in the ninth. Ian Lenius came on to relieve Kaden Soder and tossed a 1-2-3 frame for his first save as a member of the Utah program.
Â
Overall for the day, the teams combined for 34 hits—including 21 for Utah. The 21-hit performance marked Utah's highest offensive output since March 2, 2025, against UC Riverside, as the Utes used explosive bats and clutch hitting in their late surge, securing the win.
Â
Eleven different Utah players had a hit with six multi-hit performances in the lineup. Gurney was a perfect 4-for-4 for his first four-hit game at Utah, while Jake Long and Daniel Arambula each were 3-for-6.
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Smith had a season-high four RBIs by way of his two dingers—marking the first multi-homer game this season by a Utah player. His first home run in the seventh inning was in a pinch hit situation and followed a two-run shot from Miller.
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Not to be lost in the shuffle was that Smith was catching in the bullpen when the inning began. He hustled to the dugout during a K-State pitching change, and with the clock ticking down for play to resume, his teammates jumped in NASCAR pit crew style to help remove his catcher's gear just in time to step in the batter's box and club a 479-foot homer. It was the longest home run hit in the young history of America First Ballpark.
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Utah jumped out to an early lead in the first inning when Gurney delivered an RBI single to score Arambula with the game's first run. The Utes added to their lead in the second, putting together a three-run frame highlighted by a two-run double from Jet Gilliam and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch from Nevan Noonan to take a 4-0 lead.
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Kansas State answered strongly, swinging momentum with a six-run fourth inning to take its first lead of the game at 6-4. They tacked on two more runs in the fifth and sixth, extending their lead.
Â
The back-to-back jacks from Miller and Smith in the seventh inning marked the first time the Utes have gone back-to-back since Core Jackson and Tyler Quinn accomplished the feat against Baylor on April 17, 2025. Smith's home run marked Utah's first pinch-hit home run since Christopher Rowan Jr. against California on March 27, 2021.
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Miller (3) and Gilliam (2) each drove in multiple runs.
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On the mound, Soder (1-0) earned the win in relief, navigating a high-leverage situation late in the game. Lenius secured the save, tossing a scoreless ninth inning to shut the door on Kansas State.
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Combined between both teams, there were seven home runs hit in the game.
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Next Up
A rubber game is on deck for Utah and Kansas State and the teams will settle the series on Sunday, with first pitch at 1 p.m. MT inside America First Ballpark.
Â
As with all Sunday home games, kids are welcome to come down on the field postgame to run the bases.
Â
Follow Utah Baseball
Keep up with the Utes by following @utahbaseball and by visiting www.UtahUtes.com. Download the Utah 360 app here.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Soder, Kaden (1-0)
L: Smith, Miles (0-1)
S: Lenius, Ian (1)
Batting:
2B: Kennedy, Dee 2 ; Madliak, Bear 1 ; Vasquez, Carlos 1 ; English, Nick 2
HR: Kennedy, Dee 1 ; Inoue, Shintaro 1 ; Gallagher, Grant 1 ; Smolinski, Ty 1
RBI: Kennedy, Dee 2 ; Vasquez, Carlos 3 ; Inoue, Shintaro 2 ; Gallagher, Grant 1 ; Evasco, AJ 1 ; English, Nick 1 ; Smolinski, Ty 1
SH: English, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kennedy, Dee 1 ; Karl, Cadyn 1 ; Madliak, Bear 1 ; Vasquez, Carlos 2 ; Inoue, Shintaro 1 ; Gallagher, Grant 2 ; Evasco, AJ 1 ; English, Nick 1 ; Smolinski, Ty 1
CS: Evasco, AJ 1
Batting:
2B: Navarro, Bradley 1 ; Arambula, Daniel 1 ; Miller, Cal 1 ; Gilliam, Jet 1
3B: Long, Jake 1
HR: Smith, Derek 2 ; Miller, Cal 1
RBI: Smith, Derek 4 ; Gurney, Cameron 1 ; Noonan, Nevan 1 ; Arambula, Daniel 1 ; Jacobs, Luke 1 ; Miller, Cal 3 ; Gilliam, Jet 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Long, Jake 1 ; Kleveno, Jack 1 ; Smith, Derek 2 ; Gurney, Cameron 1 ; Hawkins, Zakye 2 ; Flaharty, Matt 1 ; Arambula, Daniel 1 ; Jacobs, Luke 1 ; Miller, Cal 2 ; Gilliam, Jet 1
HBP: Hawkins, Zakye 1 ; Noonan, Nevan 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
4
RBI
1
3b/ss
AB
6
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
PH/c
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
Players Mentioned
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