Gelalich Slams Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – A grand slam by sophomore Danny Gelalich – the first home run of his career – propelled No. 24 BYU baseball to a 10-3 win against rival Utah in the Deseret First Duel on Tuesday at Smith’s Ballpark.

BYU vs. Utah Box Score

Game Summary

• With one out in the eighth and the game tied, Gelalich hit a ball just inside the right field foul pole for the game-winning hit
• The grand slam is BYU’s third in the last four games after Brock Hale had one in two different games against San Francisco last week
• BYU added two more home runs in the ninth inning, one by Hale and the other by Mitch McIntyre

Player Highlights

• Danny Gelalich: 3-4, HR (Grand Slam), R, HBP, 5 RBI
• Brock Hale: 3-5, 2 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI
• Mitch McIntyre: 1-4, HR, 2 R, HBP, 2 RBI

With the Cougars down 2-1 in the eighth inning, Jackson Cluff walked and advanced to second after a sac bunt before Mitch McIntyre reached first after being hit by a pitch. Casey Jacobsen then came up with the first clutch hit of the inning, dropping a single into right field to score Cluff and tie the game.

After Bryan Call was hit by pitch to load the bases, Gelalich came to the plate and hit a 2-2 pitch over the fence a few feet inside the foul pole to give BYU a 6-2 lead.

Utah added a run in the bottom of the eighth, but Hale led off the ninth with a solo home run, his third homer in the last four games after hitting a pair of grand slams in last week’s series against San Francisco.

Cluff reached on a single two batters later, setting up a two-run home run by McIntyre, his second in as many games.

Gelalich finished with a career-high five RBIs on three hits. Hale had three hits, including two doubles and the home run.

The Cougars started the game by bringing a run across in the first inning on a Hale RBI-double that scored Brian Hsu. Utah added a run in the second, then took a 2-1 lead on back-to-back doubles in the seventh before BYU’s five runs put the Cougars back on top in the eighth.

Reid McLaughlin was tabbed with the win, going to 6-1 on the season.

BYU plays its final WCC series of the year starting Thursday, May 16, when the Cougars face Santa Clara. All three games will air on TheW.tv, BYU Radio and ESPN 960 AM.