The Utah baseball team defeated Utah Valley University by a score of 15-9 on Mar. 31, scoring six runs in the ninth inning to secure the win at UCCU Ballpark in Orem.
The game was tied at nine after eight innings before Cameron Gurney hit his first collegiate grand slam, marking the first for a Utah player since 2024. The late surge gave the Utes back-to-back games with a six-run inning.
Eight players from Utah recorded hits, totaling 15 for the game. Cal Miller and Bradley Navarro each went 3-for-5 and combined for three runs batted in and three runs scored. Jake Long extended his hitting streak to 21 games—the longest by a Utah player since 2011—by going 2-for-6 with a home run. Gurney and Jet Gilliam also had multi-hit performances.
Utah used seven pitchers during the contest, with Dylan Gazaway earning the win on the mound. UVU took an early lead in the first inning with a two-run homer that narrowly eluded Gilliam’s glove at center field, but Utah responded quickly to regain control through key hits from Navarro and Long.
After falling behind again following a four-run fifth inning by UVU, Utah answered in the sixth to take an 8-6 lead, highlighted by Derek Smith’s double and Luke Jacobs’ two-run single. The Wolverines tied it up again in the eighth with two home runs before Utah loaded the bases early in their half of the ninth, setting up Gurney’s decisive grand slam.
Looking ahead, Utah will travel to Kansas for a Big 12 Conference series against Kansas starting Thursday at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence.
