Upcoming Event: Baseball at Fresno State on February 13, 2026 at 7 p.m.
7 p.m.
Baseball
at Fresno State
The University of Utah Athletics
Saturday, May 10
Tucson, Ariz.
7 p.m. (MDT)
University of Utah
20-25, 7-19
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33-17, 15-11
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Photo by: Sophia Kuder/Utah Athletics
Jackson Homers Twice and Scores Five Runs as Utes Secure Series Win
5/11/2025 12:21 AM | Baseball
Utah baseball takes 13-5 victory in middle game over ranked Arizona squad
TUCSON, Ariz. – Core Jackson hit his team-leading 12th and 13th home runs of the season and scored five runs while Drake Digiorno drove in a pair as the Utah baseball team locked up the series with a 13-5 victory over Arizona on Saturday night at Hi Corbett Field.
The series win for the Utes in the first over a ranked opponent since 2022; Arizona was ranked as high as No. 18 (Perfect Game) this week and no lower than No. 24 in the other four major polls. It's also the first road series win over the Wildcats since 2017.
Everyone in the Utah lineup reached base safely, and there were three multi-hit performances among the top-five spots in the batting order. As a team, Utah worked 13 walks—the most since 2023--and earned four more free bases from hit batsmen.
Leadoff man Austen Roellig was 3-for-6 with an RBI double and three runs scored. Jackson was 2-for-2 by way of his homers, walked four times and drove in four runs. Five-hole hitter Drake Digiorno was 2-for-4, had three RBIs and walked once, while Kaden Carpenter and Jake Long each had three walks as well.
Meanwhile it was another quality start for Utah on the mound as Merit Jones (3-6) went seven innings on the way to the win. Jones allowed three runs on just two hits, striking out three Wildcats and walking four. He retired a stretch of 12 straight batters between the second and sixth innings and had only three three-ball counts after the second inning.
On Jones' watch, the leadoff batter never reached base for Arizona.
The Wildcats plated a run in the second inning with a little two-out rally. A walk, wild pitch and triple put Arizona on the board first with a 1-0 score.
But Utah kept its patience at the plate to earn four walks and a hit batsman by the third inning, forcing Arizona to go to the bullpen. After the pitching change, Tyler Quinn was hit with the bases loaded to score Jack Kleveno and level the score at one. Then a sac fly from Carpenter scored Roellig to give the Utes their first lead of the night.
Still with runners at the corners and one out in the third, Digiorno laid down a nice safety squeeze that brought in Jackson and moved the score to 3-1 after two and a half innings.
Jackson gave the Utes another run in the fifth inning, working a walk. He stole second and took third when the throw got into the outfield, then scored on a wild pitch.
The Utes' shortstop and Brooks Wallace Award Watch List member came through again with a leadoff homer in the seventh inning. It came on a 1-1 pitch as Jackson went to straightaway center field, past the 392-foot marker and flagpole.
Arizona answered with a two-run shot in its half of the seventh, bringing the score to 5-3 in favor of the Utes.
Carrying a lead on the road into the last two innings, the competitive edge remained for the Utes as the club put up a pair of four-spots.
In the eighth, Kleveno scored all the way from first base when Roellig smacked a double that evaded a hustling Arizona center fielder. Digiorno had an infield single with the bases loaded and two wild pitches with the bases loaded provided some insurance to the Utes. Jackson hit a three-run shot in the ninth and another RBI single for Digiorno wrapped up the scoring for the visitors.
Arizona plated a pair of runs in the final frame but Lucas Boesen kept moving right along and wrapped up the night on the mound.
Next Up
Utah has a chance at a series sweep and will play the final game at Arizona on Sunday, with first pitch at 1 p.m. MDT (noon Arizona Time) at Hi Corbett Field.
Follow Utah Baseball
Follow Utah baseball on social media (@utahbaseball).
The series win for the Utes in the first over a ranked opponent since 2022; Arizona was ranked as high as No. 18 (Perfect Game) this week and no lower than No. 24 in the other four major polls. It's also the first road series win over the Wildcats since 2017.
Everyone in the Utah lineup reached base safely, and there were three multi-hit performances among the top-five spots in the batting order. As a team, Utah worked 13 walks—the most since 2023--and earned four more free bases from hit batsmen.
Leadoff man Austen Roellig was 3-for-6 with an RBI double and three runs scored. Jackson was 2-for-2 by way of his homers, walked four times and drove in four runs. Five-hole hitter Drake Digiorno was 2-for-4, had three RBIs and walked once, while Kaden Carpenter and Jake Long each had three walks as well.
Meanwhile it was another quality start for Utah on the mound as Merit Jones (3-6) went seven innings on the way to the win. Jones allowed three runs on just two hits, striking out three Wildcats and walking four. He retired a stretch of 12 straight batters between the second and sixth innings and had only three three-ball counts after the second inning.
On Jones' watch, the leadoff batter never reached base for Arizona.
The Wildcats plated a run in the second inning with a little two-out rally. A walk, wild pitch and triple put Arizona on the board first with a 1-0 score.
But Utah kept its patience at the plate to earn four walks and a hit batsman by the third inning, forcing Arizona to go to the bullpen. After the pitching change, Tyler Quinn was hit with the bases loaded to score Jack Kleveno and level the score at one. Then a sac fly from Carpenter scored Roellig to give the Utes their first lead of the night.
Still with runners at the corners and one out in the third, Digiorno laid down a nice safety squeeze that brought in Jackson and moved the score to 3-1 after two and a half innings.
Jackson gave the Utes another run in the fifth inning, working a walk. He stole second and took third when the throw got into the outfield, then scored on a wild pitch.
The Utes' shortstop and Brooks Wallace Award Watch List member came through again with a leadoff homer in the seventh inning. It came on a 1-1 pitch as Jackson went to straightaway center field, past the 392-foot marker and flagpole.
Arizona answered with a two-run shot in its half of the seventh, bringing the score to 5-3 in favor of the Utes.
Carrying a lead on the road into the last two innings, the competitive edge remained for the Utes as the club put up a pair of four-spots.
In the eighth, Kleveno scored all the way from first base when Roellig smacked a double that evaded a hustling Arizona center fielder. Digiorno had an infield single with the bases loaded and two wild pitches with the bases loaded provided some insurance to the Utes. Jackson hit a three-run shot in the ninth and another RBI single for Digiorno wrapped up the scoring for the visitors.
Arizona plated a pair of runs in the final frame but Lucas Boesen kept moving right along and wrapped up the night on the mound.
Next Up
Utah has a chance at a series sweep and will play the final game at Arizona on Sunday, with first pitch at 1 p.m. MDT (noon Arizona Time) at Hi Corbett Field.
Follow Utah Baseball
Follow Utah baseball on social media (@utahbaseball).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jones, Merit (3-6)
L: McKinney, Collin (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Roellig, Austen 1 ; Carpenter, Kaden 1
HR: Jackson, Core 2
RBI: Roellig, Austen 1 ; Jackson, Core 4 ; Quinn, Tyler 1 ; Carpenter, Kaden 1 ; Digiorno, Drake 3
SH: Digiorno, Drake 1 ; Kleveno, Jack 1
SF: Carpenter, Kaden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Roellig, Austen 3 ; Jackson, Core 5 ; Carpenter, Kaden 2 ; Flaharty, Matt 1 ; Kleveno, Jack 2
SB: Jackson, Core 1 ; Carpenter, Kaden 1
HBP: Quinn, Tyler 1 ; Flaharty, Matt 1 ; Kleveno, Jack 2
Batting:
2B: Summerhill, Brendan 1
3B: White, Mason 1 ; Splaine, Tommy 1
HR: Caulfield, Garen 1 ; Cain, Andrew 1
RBI: Caulfield, Garen 1 ; Cain, Andrew 2 ; Splaine, Tommy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Caulfield, Garen 2 ; Cain, Andrew 2 ; Splaine, Tommy 1
Game Leaders
AB
6
R
3
H
3
RBI
1
AB
2
R
5
H
2
RBI
4
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
3
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballINF
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