Utah Baseball Drops 7-6 Decision to SUU

Thursday, March 8

Cedar City, Utah

1:00 PM

University of Utah

2-12

Southern Utah

3-15

Univ. of Utah

Southern Utah

3/8/2007 12:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 8, 2007

Box Score

CEDAR CITY, Utah - The University of Utah baseball team dropped a 7-6 decision to Southern Utah at Thunderbird Park Thursday afternoon. A five-run first inning for the Thunderbirds proved to be too much to overcome for the Utes.

Southern Utah (3-15) grabbed a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first frame. The Thunderbirds strung together four hits and took advantage of two Utah errors in the inning. Three of the runs off Ute starter Lucas Trinnaman were unearned.

Utah (2-12) chipped away at its deficit, pulling within one run, 5-4, after three innings. Utah got on the board with a single run in the second. In the third, right fielder John Welsh laced a two-run double to left field. He later scored to get Utah within one run.

But SUU answered in the bottom of the fourth. Cameron Nelson belted a two-run home run to knock Trinnaman from the game and give the T-birds a 7-4 advantage. Utah's Chad Cullers and Brad DeVore finished the game on the mound, holding SUU at bay and giving the Ute hitters a chance to get back in the game.

Nick Lowery led off the sixth with a solo home run to left field, his first as a Ute. That round-tripper pulled Utah within two, 7-5. The Utes put two runners on with nobody out in the ninth. But they could only push one of the two runs across, falling just one run short of tying the contest up.

Trinnaman (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings of work. He struck out five and walked one. Welsh was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored to lead Utah at the plate. Nelson was 2-for-3 with three RBIs for SUU, while Bucky Aona was 4-for-4 for the Thunderbirds.

Game two of the three-game set is slated for 1 p.m. Friday at Thunderbird Park.

-UU-