Easton Jones watches his walk-off home run in BYU’s Friday win over Oklahoma State in Provo, Utah (Photo by BYU Athletics)
All four teams who call Utah home had a good week of baseball!
Utah 15-10 (5-4 in the Big 12)
The week started off roughly for the Utes. They hosted Holy War rival BYU on Tuesday. BYU and Utah had another bitter battle that came down to the very end. Utah trailed by one with two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth and hit what probably would have been the game-winner had not the BYU outfielder made a great play. Utah would fall, 6-5. On Friday, it felt the Utes might have a bit of a hangover from the BYU loss, as they opened their series with Kansas State with an 8-5 loss.
The Utes didn’t pack it in, though; they dug deep and fought back on Saturday. They shot it out with K-State but emerged victorious, winning 13-11. Sunday would decide the important Big 12 series. Again, it was a high-scoring affair. Thanks to star Jake Long, Utah would pull out the series victory with the 16-14 win. The U plays at Utah Valley tomorrow before a weekend series on the road at Kansas.
Utah Valley 12-14 (0-0 in the WAC)
UVU’s losing streak hit a painful seven straight games on Friday after a heartbreaking home loss. The Wolverines fell by a single run to Cal State San Bernardino, 7-6. Saturday would be a different story at UCCU Ballpark. Utah Valley’s bats sang, and their pitching clamped down, and they got a resounding, 15-1 victory to even the series.
The rubber match came on Sunday. The comforts of home again got UVU rolling, and they again cruised to a smashing victory, this time 15-3. UVU took the series and outscored CSU San Bernardino, 37-11, over the weekend. UVU will play Utah tomorrow at home in Orem, and the play a weekend series of three games on the road at Cal State Bakersfield.
BYU 13-13 (4-5 in the Big 12)
BYU had a big week, and it began with a bang on Tuesday. They hit I-15 and went to Salt Lake City to battle the Holy War on the baseball diamond. BYU got an early lead and held on to it late in the game. They went into the bottom of the ninth, leading 6-3. Utah slugger Jake Long hit a two-run home run with one out to cut the lead to 6-5. Utah would get two on with one out, before two fly balls ended the game. This included a long fly ball hit to the gap in right-center field that, if it had been dropped, would have won the game for Utah. Tu’alau Wolfgramm made the game-saving and winning catch for BYU!
BYU vs. Oklahoma State
The opening game on Thursday against the Oklahoma State Cowboys would bring more late-game dramatics. BYU would enter the bottom of the ninth inning, trailing 5-4. Luke Anderson would tie the game with a triple that knocked in a run. In the bottom of the tenth, after the first two batters were retired, Easton Jones came up to bat. Jones hit a solo home run that gave BYU the walk-off win, by the score of 6-5.
BYU needed those two wins after getting swept by West Virginia last week. This week wasn’t without its faults, though. On Friday, Oklahoma State got the best of BYU, downing the Cougars 12-5. BYU looked to take the series and win three of their four games this week when they played the final game on Saturday. Once again, they did it in dramatic fashion. They entered the bottom of the ninth, trailing 4-2. After their leadoff batter got out, BYU got Luke Anderson on base when he was hit by a pitch. Ezra McNaughton brought him home with a double, cutting the lead to 4-3. The next BYU batter struck out, so the Cougs were down to their final out. Keoni Painter came to the plate and decided he could do what Easton Jones did on Friday. Painter hit a two-run, walk-off home run that gave BYU the 5-4 win.
The Sons of Provo will host Kansas State tomorrow before a three-game series starting on Thursday against Baylor down in Waco, Texas.
Utah Tech 18-11 (0-0 in the WAC)
Tech’s visit to the Midwest started on a sour note. UT ate a 10-0 loss to Southern Illinois to begin their series. The trailblazers didn’t back down or give in, though; they rallied on Saturday. They paid SIU back with a 9-4 victory, setting up the series-deciding game for Sunday.
UT took the series with a 12-4 victory. On Monday, they played one last game on their way back to Utah, this time in the Gateway to the West against St. Louis. Sadly, the Trailblazers couldn’t get their third win in the Midwest; they fell to St. Louis, 3-2. Utah Tech will start a nine-game home stand and 13-game stretch in the state of Utah on Thursday against Sacramento State.
The Utah Four
- BYU 13-13 (4-5 in the Big 12)
- Utah 15-10 (5-4 in the Big 12)
- Utah Tech 18-11 (0-0 in the WAC)
- Utah Valley 12-14 (0-0 in the WAC)
Wally Joyner Player of the Week
There was no contest for player of the week after the weekend Utah’s superstar had. Outfielder Jake Long powered Utah to win their series against Kansas State, bouncing back from their loss to BYU. Long got the U an important Big 12 series win, and it seemed like he was hitting everything that came near him. In Utah’s four games, Long had 10 hits, two doubles, a triple, three home runs, and eight runs batted in. His exclamation point came on Sunday when he hit for the cycle, the first done by Utah baseball since 2005! Long had five hits in the 16-14 victory. He had a single, a double, a triple, two home runs, and four runs batted in. Long also extended his hitting streak to 20 games!
