Utah Baseball Downs Sacramento State in Season Opener, 6-4

Friday, February 13

Sacramento, Calif. (John Smith Field)

2:00 PM

University of Utah

1-0

Sacramento State

0-1

Utah

Sacramento State

Utah Baseball Downs Sacramento State in Season Opener, 6-4

2/13/2015 12:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 13, 2015

Box Score

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Behind three hits from sophomore Dallas Carroll and a four-run seventh inning, the Utah baseball team won its season opener against Sacramento State, 6-4, on Friday afternoon.

Sacramento State led 3-2 going into the seventh inning before the Utes took the lead with four runs. Wyler Smith led off the inning when he was hit by a pitch and stole second. Smith moved to third on a ground out and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Josh Rose to tie the game at 3-3. AJ Young was also hit by a pitch to put two on for Kody Davis, who hit a two-RBI double down the left field line, giving Utah a 5-3 lead. Davis moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly from Dallas Carroll before Sacramento State got out of the inning with a strikeout.

The Hornets left runners on base in the seventh and eighth innings and attempted a late rally in the ninth, scoring a run after a pair of hits and a balk before reliever Dalton Carroll got a ground out to end the game.

Dallas Carroll's 3-for-3 performance included two RBI while Davis went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. It was Dallas Carroll's first game back after suffering an injury in last year's season opener.

On the mound, Bret Helton earned the win after going six innings with two strikeouts and two walks, allowing three runs on seven hits. Dylan Drachler pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits before Dalton Carroll earned the save after entering in the final inning.

"Our pitching and defense were pretty solid, and it was a good sixth inning for us," Utah head coach Bill Kinneberg said. "Drachler really did a nice job once we got the lead to keep them at bay. Defensively we had one error, but Dallas made some stabbing plays at third base. We were solid on defense. We capitalized on the offensive side when the opportunities were there, and being hit by pitches three times in one inning helped us get four runs. We had solid at bats and stole some bases. Our run game was very good. We only had four strikeouts, and usually in the first few games we have a lot of strikeouts, and that wasn't the case today. We battled at the plate, and that was a real positive for us. There were a lot of things that went well today."

Sacramento State took a 2-0 lead with runs in the third and fourth innings. Hornets preseason All-American pitcher Brandon Leitao held the Utes at bay for the first five innings before the Utes broke through in the sixth, tying the game at 2-2. Davis and Cody Scaggari led off the inning with a pair of singles, followed by an RBI single from Dallas Carroll. Scaggari added a run on a ground out. The Hornets came back in the bottom of the sixth with a run to re-take the lead, 3-2, taking advantage of a one-out triple.

"We did a good job against him," Kinneberg said of Leitao. "He really pitched well and did a nice job against us. He will win a lot of games for them."

Two Utes made their career debuts, with freshman Jayson Rose earning the start in left field while freshman Wade Gulden entered as a pinch runner in the eighth inning.

The Utes continue their four-game series against Sacramento State on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 1:00 p.m. PT. Click here
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