Utah Tech lost the first game of its three-game weekend baseball series against Azusa Pacific, 11-8, on Friday night at Bruce Hurst Field. The Trailblazers mounted a strong comeback in the final innings but were stopped by a disputed call that ended the game.
The matchup was significant as Utah Tech attempted to continue its momentum in conference play. The outcome could impact their standing as they progress through the season.
Throughout the first seven innings, Utah Tech struggled offensively, leaving 11 runners stranded and committing three errors. Azusa Pacific took advantage by scoring in six of their first seven frames and building an 11-2 lead with 11 hits.
The Trailblazers rallied in the eighth inning when Cooper Smith hit a grand slam—his second home run of the season—setting a school record for fifth grand slam this year. Ty Johnsen later added another run with an RBI single, bringing Utah Tech closer to tying the game.
In the ninth inning, Utah Tech loaded the bases again and scored once more before Miller Durham’s deep fly ball resulted in all baserunners apparently tagging up safely. However, after an appeal from Azusa Pacific’s players regarding whether runners had tagged up properly, umpires ruled that none had done so and called a game-ending triple play. Video replays showed all runners appeared to tag up correctly, but instant replay was not permitted under ground rules for this contest.
Despite outhitting Azusa Pacific 16-11 and tying several career highs—including four hits by Kyle McDaniel—the Trailblazers left 15 men on base overall. The teams are scheduled to meet again Saturday afternoon for game two of their series.
