PULLMAN, Wash. – A late-inning rally lifted the Utah baseball team over Washington State, 9-3, in the second game of the series on Friday afternoon.
Utah (15-39, 7-22 Pac-12) trailed 2-1 before taking the lead with a three-run seventh inning and pulled ahead with three runs in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Oliver Dunn went 3-for-5 and scored three runs to lead Utah at the plate. Dominic Foscalina went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Chandler Anderson was 2-for-5 with three RBI.
Josh Tedeschi struck out seven over 7 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits with one walk in the victory. Trenton Stoltz did not allow a hit and struck out two over the final 1 1/3 innings in picking up his eighth save of the season.
Washington State took an early lead with two runs in the first inning on three hits and a walk. Shea Kramer put Utah on the board and cut WSU’s lead to 2-1 with his second home run of the season in the third inning.
Utah took the lead in the seventh inning as Dunn hit an infield single to lead off the inning and moved to second on a throwing error. Braden DeBenedictis put two on with a single leading to an RBI single from Foscalina to tie the game at 2-2. Anderson had the big hit of the inning with a two-RBI double to right center, giving the Utes a 4-2 lead.
The Utes tacked on three more run in the top of the eighth, again started by a leadoff single from Dunn. Debenedictis walked and an error on a bunt by Erick Migueles loaded the bases. Foscalina sent home a run on a sacrifice fly and Anderson had his second RBI hit of the game, a single through the left side. Another walk re-loaded the bases to lead to a sacrifice fly from Kramer for a 7-2 lead.
Washington State threatened in the bottom of the eighth, scoring a run on three hits before reliever Stoltz got a strikeout to get the Utes out of the inning. Utah continued to pull ahead in the ninth with two runs after hits from Dunn, Migueles and Foscalina, and Stoltz got three quick outs in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the win for the Utes.
Utah and Washington State play the rubber match on Saturday, May 26, at 12:00 p.m. PT, aired on the Pac-12 Network.
