SUU campus briefs

BASEBALL: Southern Utah opened with a 2-0 lead after the first inning, but had to fight back twice to capture an 8-7 victory over the University of Utah on the ball diamond Tuesday afternoon at Cedar City.

The win vindicates an earlier loss to the Utes this season and moves the T-Birds to 10-25 on the year while Utah drops to 18-16.

Bo Cuthbertson led off the first inning with the first of four hits for the sophomore on the day and later scored the first of two runs for the T-Birds on a throwing error by Utah second baseman Tyler Yagi. Matt Sanford, also aboard on an earlier single, capped Southern Utah's two-run rally, scoring on an RBI double off the bat of Joe Goldenberg.

Utah came right back in the top of the second inning with three runs, all unearned, as the Utest took advantage of a pair of T-Bird errors in the frame.

It wasn't until the fifth inning that the lead went back to the Thunderbirds' favor as Cuthbertson and Marcus Romero led off the stanza with back-to-back singles. Both later came around the bases to score on a two-run single by Goldenberg, marking his second and third RBIs of the afternoon.

However, as it was in the second, Utah came back in the top of the sixth, scoring three runs on four hits. The Thunderbirds didn't have to wait long to recapture the lead, tallying runs in the home half of the inning on a four-run two-out rally.

Clint Vanhoff led off the inning with a strikeout and was followed by a ground ball to the pitcher off the bat of D.J. Andrade. With the Thunderbirds behind the eight ball, the next five batters recorded base hits, including a pair of doubles from Cuthbertson and Goldenberg. Sanford, Bucky Aona and Goldenberg each recorded an RBI in the frame, lifting the Thunderbirds to an 8-6 advantage.

Utah made a late push in the top of the ninth with a pair of singles to start the frame, but closer Kelsey Outram induced a couple of fly balls during the final two at bats to punctuate the T-Birds' 8-7 victory.

Southern Utah used a total of six pitchers during the afternoon, with Steve Johnson picking up the victory with 11/3 innings of relief where the senior allowed only two hits while holding the Utes without a run. Outram picked up the save, his second of the year, in his single inning of work, allowing one earned run on two hits over the final five at bats.

SUU will be back in Summit League play this weekend when the Thunderbirds host the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The four-game series is scheduled for a single game on Thursday, doubleheader on Friday and a single game on Saturday. The first pitch on Thursday afternoon is scheduled for 3 p.m.