Utah Baseball Falls to Kansas State in Big 12 Tournament

Tuesday, May 19

Surprise, Ariz. / Surprise Stadium

9 p.m. MDT / 8 p.m. AZT

University of Utah

26-25

Kansas State

29-26

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Kansas State	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	4	0	9	13	1
Utah	0	0	0	0	3	0	2	0	0	5	10	1

Tournament Central

Jake Long - Big 12 Tournament vs. Kansas State 2026

Photo by: Sophia Kuder/Utah Athletics

Utah Baseball Falls to Kansas State in Big 12 Tournament

5/20/2026 2:23 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Jacobs and Long combined for three extra-base hits and four runs scored

SURPRISE, Ariz. – Eleventh-seeded Kansas State pulled ahead of the Utah baseball team with a four-run eighth inning as the 10^th-seeded Utes fell 9-5 at Surprise Stadium on Tuesday night in the Big 12 Tournament.

The teams were tied at five after seven innings of play before the crooked number for K-State proved to be the difference down the home stretch.

Leadoff man Luke Jacobs and two-hole hitter Jake Long each went 3-for-5. Jacobs clubbed a solo home run and scored twice, while Long doubled twice, drove in two runs and scored two more.

Matt Flaharty capped off the year by extending his hitting streak to 11 straight games, the longest of his career. The night also marked Long's team-leading 24^th multi-hit game of the season.

Demitri Diamant received the start on the mound for Utah (26-25) and tossed three shutout innings. It was a collective effort on the mound for the Utes, who saw eight pitchers contribute on the mound.

Diamant worked around a pair of baserunners in the first inning, getting out of the frame unharmed with a double play followed by a groundout. The Utes put Long on second base with one out in the bottom of the inning but he was stranded to keep the game scoreless.

Utah threatened again in the second inning, getting runners on the corners with one out and men on second and third with two away, but a strikeout ended the frame.

After the sides continued trading zeroes, the Utes broke the ice in the bottom of the fifth with a three-spot. Derek Smith set the table grinding out an eight-pitch at bat for a single, moving up to third when the lineup turned over to Jacobs for a first-pitch single. Long then drove the 2-1 pitch to right field for a two-run double and continued on to third base due to a K-State error.

Two batters later, Cal Miller extended the Utes' lead to 3-0 on a single that allowed Long to trot home.

K-State would answer in the top of the sixth, clubbing a two-run homer to narrow Utah's lead to 3-2.

The game began going back-and-forth in the seventh inning as the Wildcats would post a three-spot, taking their first lead of the game at 5-3.

But the Utes were unfazed and answered with two runs in the home half of the seventh. Jacobs led off with a 408-foot solo shot to the right field berm before Miller drove a fly ball to center field, plenty deep enough to bring Long home on the sacrifice fly.

The Wildcats came back with four runs in the top of the eighth, stringing together five hits along the way. Utah appeared to be out of the inning trailing just 6-5 after throwing out a runner stealing, but a lengthy video review overturned the call and the inning ultimately ended with a 9-5 score.

As was the case twice during the regular season series between these teams, Utah was poised to make a late comeback but it just wasn't in the cards Tuesday night.

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