April 19, 2024

Jackson’s Three Doubles Pace Utah to Series-Opening Win vs. Huskies ... Utes reach 25 wins faster than any season in recorded program history

SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah secured the series opener against the Washington Huskies on Friday afternoon at Smith’s Ballpark by a score of 8-6.

Core Jackson led the way for Utah, going 3-for-5 with a trio of doubles and three RBIs.

The Utes improved to 25-11 overall with the win and 10-6 in Pac-12 Conference play. It marks the fastest that Utah has reached the 25-win mark in program history and was the team’s sixth win in its last eight Pac-12 games.

The three doubles by Jackson (Wyoming, Ont.) were the most by a Ute this season and brought him to 10 on the season. Tyler Quinn and Matt Flaharty also shone offensively, each recording a pair of hits while Quinn drove in two runs and Flaharty scored a season-high three times. Five different Utes plated a run against the Huskies.

Bryson Van Sickle (3-0) started for Utah, making his 10th start of the season. The southpaw would produce a final stat line of 6 1/3 innings pitched, four hits, and three earned runs while striking out three Huskies. From there, right-hander Randon Hostert struck out four in 1 2/3 innings of work and lefty Micah Ashman came on for his 10th save of the season—currently the most in the Pac-12 and the most by a Ute since Tyler Wagner set the single-season program record with 12 in 2011.

Washington scored quickly in the game, plating two runs in the top of the first inning via a solo home run and a sacrifice fly. Jackson led off the home frame of the first with an opposite-field double before TJ Clarkson placed runners on the corners with a single up the middle. Kai Roberts then drove in Jackson with an RBI groundout to get back within a 2-1 score.

After a shut-down second inning for Van Sickle, Kaden Carpenter got the Utes started in the home half with an infield single. Flaharty would later single to put runners on first and second with one out before Jackson came through with a two-out, two-run double to give Utah a 3-2 advantage.

An error allowed Washington to tie the score at three in the third inning, but the Utah bats stayed hot. Roberts reached with a leadoff hit-by-pitch and stole second base while taking third base after an error. Drake Digiorno immediately scored Roberts on a groundout to give the lead back to the Utes, 4-3.

Flaharty tacked on another run for the home squad in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to a Hunter Antillon single; before Quinn roped a two-out, two-run double to extend Utah’s lead 7-3 after five innings of play.

Hostert entered in relief of Van Sickle with one out in the seventh and would pitch 1.2 innings out of the bullpen. But the Huskies got the bats going in the seventh inning with a three-run frame and suddenly the Utes’ lead had been narrowed to 7-6.

The bottom of the sixth saw the Utes held off the scoreboard, ending a stretch of 13 straight innings with at least run scored. Then in the seventh, a 1-2-3 frame for the Utah bats marked the first time in 40 innings that the Utes were retired in order.

Hostert very narrowly missed an immaculate inning in the eighth (striking out the side in order on nine pitches). Cooper Whitton, Sam DeCarlo and pinch hitter Carson Ohland all went down swinging, but Whitton took a ball on 0-2 to prolong the at bat by one more pitch.

Ashman entered out of the bullpen after a single started the ninth inning for the Huskies and slammed the door with no damage done, picking up his Pac-12-leading 10th save of the season. He induced a fly ball and a grounder back to the mound for a 1-6-3 game-ending double play.

Team Statistics

PITCHING

W: Van Sickle, Bryson (3-0), L: Engman, Jared (0-7).

S: Ashman, Micah (10)

Washington

BATTING

HR: Arquette, Aiva 1

RBI: Arquette, Aiva 2; Ybarra, Jeter 2; Clayton, Cam 2

Utah

BATTING:

2B: Jackson, Core 3; Quinn, Tyler 1

RBI: Jackson Core, 3; Roberts, Kai 1; Digiorno, Drake 1; Quinn, Tyler 2; Antillon, Hunter 1.

BASERUNNING:

RUNS: Jackson, Core 1; Roberts, Kai 1; Digiorno, Drake 1; Bodily, Karson 1; Quinn, Tyler 1; Flaharty, Matt 3

SB: Roberts, Kai 1

HBP: Roberts, Kai 1; Digiorno, Drake 1