SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah baseball team dropped game three of the series to California, 8-7 on Saturday afternoon.
Utah held as much as a 6-1 lead in the game and led 7-4 after five innings before Cal came back with solo runs in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings for the win.
Utah was led at the plate by a 2-for-4 performance by Dallas Carroll, who also walked, drove in a run and scored three runs. Ellis Kelly went 3-for-4 with an RBI while Zack Moeller drove in three runs on a bases-loaded single.
Josh Lapiana pitched four innings, allowing four runs on nine hits with one walk. Dylan Drachler earned the loss, allowing two runs on four hits over 2 2/3 innings with a strikeout. Trenton Stoltz and Tanner Thomas also pitched for the Utes.
Utah took a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning after a solo home run from Carroll, his fourth of the year. The Utes added two runs in the second inning. Moeller reached on an error and Dominic Foscalina hit an RBI double to right field, moving to third after an error. Kelly added a run on an RBI infield single to put the Utes up 3-0.
After leaving two runs stranded in the second inning, Cal got on the board in the third with a run on a ground out after a walk and double to put the Utah lead at 3-1.
Utah increased its lead to 6-1 with a three-run third. DaShawn Keirsey, Jr., singled, Carroll and Wade Gulden walked to set up a bases-clearing single from Moeller that blooped between three fielders in right field.
Cal came back in the fourth for three runs to cut Utah’s lead to 6-4. The Golden Bears had five hits in the inning, including three doubles.
Utah put up a run in the fifth following singles from Carroll and Gulden (with Carroll scoring all the way from first) to hold a 7-4 lead.
Cal chipped away at the lead to pull ahead. In the sixth, the leadoff batter was hit by a pitch, moved to third on a failed pickoff and scored on a ground out. In the seventh, a hit batter and single also led to a run on a ground out. The Golden Bears had three hits in the eighth for a run to tie the game at 7-7 before pulling ahead in the ninth following a leadoff double, ground out and sacrifice fly.
Utah continues at home on Tuesday, April 18, facing BYU at 6:00 p.m. MT.
