Home runs carry Utah Baseball past Utah Valley for season sweep
May 5, 2026, 10:22 PM | Updated: May 7, 2026, 10:36 am
Utah baseball's Cal Miller homered for the 6th time this season. Photo courtesy by Utah Athletics.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah baseball did not need much time to set the tone Tuesday night.
Luke Jacobs opened the bottom of the first inning with a 413-foot home run to right-center field, and the Utes kept swinging from there in a 9-5 win over Utah Valley at Charlie Monfort Field at America First Ballpark. The victory gave Utah a three-game season sweep of the Wolverines and moved the Utes to 24-19 overall.
LEAD OFF HOMERUN FOR @lukejacobs23 🙌#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/ZPv6L82bts
— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) May 6, 2026
The win continued a strong in-state stretch for Utah, which entered the matchup fresh off a Big 12 series win at BYU. The Utes had already beaten Utah Valley twice this season, winning 15-9 in Orem on March 31 and 16-9 in Salt Lake City on April 21. Tuesday’s win completed the clean sweep.
Utah’s Power Shows Up Early
The night belonged to Utah’s bats, and especially to the long ball.
Utah finished with 11 hits, five home runs and six extra-base hits. The five homers were the program’s most in a game since an April 18, 2023 win at BYU. The biggest burst came in the second inning, when Matt Flaharty, Jacobs and Daniel Arambula all went deep, giving Utah its first three-homer inning since the 2022 season.
Utah Valley briefly grabbed a 2-1 lead in the top of the second when Cooper Brass hit a two-run home run. That lead did not last.
GOING, GOING, GONE! @Danny23Arambula pic.twitter.com/13EBJkUyYq
— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) May 6, 2026
Flaharty answered in the bottom half with a solo shot to tie the game. Blake Eckerle followed with a double, and Jacobs then launched his second homer of the night — a 400-foot, two-run blast — to put Utah back in front. Arambula added a two-run homer later in the inning, pushing the Utes ahead 6-2.
That second inning became the separation point. Utah Valley stayed competitive, but Utah’s early power surge gave the Utes enough cushion to control the game.
Jacobs Leads The Charge
Jacobs delivered the loudest individual performance of the night.
He finished 2-for-5 with two home runs, two runs scored and three RBIs. It was his first multi-homer game as a Ute and brought his season total to seven home runs. His leadoff homer in the first inning was also his fourth first-inning leadoff home run of the season.
Arambula also drove in three runs, finishing 2-for-5 with a homer and an RBI single. Flaharty went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, while Cal Miller added a 419-foot home run in the fifth inning. Miller’s homer was his sixth of the season, and he extended his on-base streak to 20 games, the longest active streak on the team.
.@calmiller06 with homerun No. 6️⃣ on the year!#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/rGLcFo1Ai4
— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) May 6, 2026
Eckerle added a double and a sacrifice fly, giving Utah another productive piece in a lineup that produced runs in four different innings.
Utes Manage The Mound
Utah used five pitchers in the win.
Ryan Kittredge started and struck out five over two innings, including a clean first inning in which he struck out the side. Dylan Gazaway followed and earned the win, improving to 4-1 on the season. Demitri Diamant gave Utah two scoreless innings in relief before Kaden Soder and Justin Abercrombie finished the game.
Utah Valley did put pressure on the Utes, finishing with 11 hits and drawing six walks. Chipper Beck and Trenton Rowan each had three hits for the Wolverines, while Brass and Joseph Barnhardt each hit two-run home runs. Barnhardt’s shot in the fourth cut Utah’s lead to 6-4, but the Utes responded with single runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings to keep control.
One of the key moments came in the seventh inning, when Soder inherited a situation with a runner at third and one out. He escaped with a strikeout and a flyout, preserving Utah’s 8-4 lead at the time.
Defense Adds To The Formula
The Utes also turned two double plays, raising their season total to 45. That mark tied Utah for second in the Big 12, according to the school’s recap.
That detail matters because Utah’s recent surge has not been built only on offense. The Utes entered the game coming off a weekend series win at BYU in which defense played a major role, including seven double plays across the rivalry series.
Against Utah Valley, the offense supplied the fireworks. The defense and bullpen made sure the game never fully tightened late.
What Comes Next
Utah now turns back to Big 12 play with a three-game road series at TCU. The series opener is scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. MT in Fort Worth, Texas.
The win over Utah Valley does not change Utah’s conference position by itself, but it does keep the Utes moving in the right direction. After taking the series from BYU and completing the season sweep of UVU, Utah has built needed momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
The larger takeaway is straightforward: Utah’s lineup is dangerous when it gets lift in the middle of the order and production from multiple spots. Tuesday night was not just a win over an in-state opponent. It was another reminder that when the Utes’ bats travel, they can put pressure on anyone.
