The Utah baseball team secured an 8-1 victory over the BYU Cougars on May 1 at Miller Park, evening up their three-game rivalry series. Jake Long, Jet Gilliam, and Blake Eckerle each hit home runs as Utah scored in seven different innings.
This win sets up a decisive rubber game between the two teams scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Five Utah players recorded multiple hits during the game, with leadoff hitter Luke Jacobs contributing two doubles. Long hit his tenth home run of the season and finished with a two-hit night, while Gilliam went three-for-four with three runs batted in. Eckerle added his first collegiate home run in the sixth inning to give Utah additional insurance late in the contest.
Starting pitcher Payton Riske delivered five strong innings for Utah, allowing only one run on four hits and striking out seven batters before being relieved by Demitri Diamant. Diamant pitched the final four innings without surrendering any more runs and earned his first save of the season.
Timely hitting was crucial for Utah, who managed six hits in both two-out situations and with runners in scoring position. The wind played a role throughout much of the game as several fly balls were caught near the warning track.
The Utes took an early lead when Long homered to center field on a 2-2 pitch in the first inning. BYU responded quickly by tying up the score later that inning but could not keep pace as Utah added runs steadily throughout the night.
Utah will face BYU again on Saturday at Miller Park for the final game of their series.
