Senior outfielder Holden Rook celebrates with the team after a win against Utah Tech University on May 10 at Clay Gould Ballpark. UTA won 8-5.
UTA baseball (18-28) beat Utah Tech University (30-21) 8-5 in 11 innings Sunday at Clay Gould Ballpark.
The game was the rubber match of the three-pronged series, with UTA winning a 2-0 pitcher’s duel Friday and Utah Tech winning a 16-4 blowout Saturday.
“I’m happy for those guys to play well. Now maybe we can just go out and keep playing well,” head coach Mike Trapasso said. “Momentum is a big thing, and momentum is always, in baseball, only going to take as far as the next day starting pitcher, but if you can get on a little bit of a roll, see what happens.”
Junior catcher Clark Springs hits the ball during a game against Utah Tech University on May 10 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Springs had one run.
The game was the last one at Clay Gould Ballpark for the Mavericks this season, with the team finishing 12-13 in home games but 4-3 in home series.
Utah Tech opened the scoring early, with two runs in the first inning off a sacrifice bunt and a groundout. UTA answered in the second inning, with an RBI single from junior first baseman Caylon Dygert and a groundout from junior catcher Clark Springs to even the score.
Another two Trailblazer runs were scored in the third inning on a pair of RBI groundouts. In the bottom of the same inning, graduate right fielder Preston Knott sent a ball over the right field fence for a solo home run.
Senior pitcher Merek Sears pitches the ball during a game against Utah Tech University on May 10 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Sears had four strikeouts.
In the fifth inning, UTA tied the game with a sacrifice fly by senior second baseman Xavier Melendez, scoring Knott. In the seventh inning, the Mavericks took the lead on another Knott solo shot to right field.
In total, Knott went 3 for 5 on the day, with a walk, a double, two RBIs and two home runs.
“It just feels like a blur. I’ve been putting in a lot of work in the cages trying to figure things out, and I got some pitches to hit and put some good swings on it,” Knott said. “They’ve [the coaches] been staying consistent with me, helping me out, making changes day in and day out, and it felt good today.”
Utah Tech fought back, retying the game with an RBI single to left field in the eighth inning and forcing extra innings after a scoreless ninth frame. Despite multiple chances for each side, the teams stayed deadlocked at five until the 11th inning.
Junior first baseman Caylon Dygert catches the ball, keeping Utah Tech pitcher Ryan Kroepel from securing first base in a game against Utah Tech University on May 10 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Dygert had 13 putouts.
In the bottom of the 11th inning, Knott intentionally walked to set up runners on first and second base. Utah Tech put in a new pitcher, and the second pitch he threw was sent 361 feet to left field by junior left fielder Hank Harp for a walk-off home run.
“I was just trying to see the ball down because I’ve been chasing up a lot during that game, popping up,” Harp said. “Got a change up down, was able to put a good swing on it.”
Senior pitcher Merek Sears held the Trailblazers scoreless for four innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while throwing four strikeouts.
The UTA baseball team celebrates around junior left fielder Hank Harp after scoring a home run during a game against Utah Tech University on May 10 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Harp led the team to a win.
“I was able to land all my pitches for strikes and just kind of keep them off balance,” Sears said. “I was getting behind in some counts, but I was just able to fill up the zone latent counts and they were able to get themselves out.”
With just the top six teams in the seven-team Western Athletic Conference making the conference tournament, programs have to earn a bid to the bracket, the winner of which gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. With UTA’s win over Utah Tech, the Mavericks clinched a spot in the WAC tournament, which starts May 20 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona.
UTA finishes its regular season next week, facing Utah Valley University in a three-game series. The first game starts at 7:05 p.m. Thursday, and all games will be at UCCU Ballpark in Orem, Utah. The games will be available to stream on ESPN+.
@TyRoland06