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  "path": "/sports/2026/05/01/utah-byu-baseball-big-12/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-02T05:28:54.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.deseret.com",
  "textContent": "Every once in a while, everything goes right for the University of Utah baseball team.\n\nIt hasn’t been often this season, but it was the case Friday night as Jake Long, Jet Gilliam and Blake Eckerle hit home runs as the Utes whipped the BYU Cougars 8-1 in a Big 12 Conference game.\n\nPayton Riske allowed just four hits in five innings on the mound, and Demitri Diamant took advantage of several fine defensive plays as Utah salvaged the second game of the three-game series at Miller Park.\n\nThe final contest is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.\n\nBoth teams need the win to improve their chances of making the upcoming Big 12 tournament, which starts May 19 in Surprise, Ariz. The league takes the top 12 of its 16 teams and both the Utes and Cougars are close to earning a bid — but want more.\n\nUtah coach Gary Henderson was feeling much better after the Utes’ 15-hit attack Friday ended a four-game losing streak. He said it had been a while since he felt like “everything went right” for his team.\n\n“Certainly not in league play,” he said.\n\nHenderson was also amused that BYU scheduled fireworks immediately after the contest, which ended just as darkness fell.\n\n“Nice of them to do that for us,” he said, smiling. “We deserved it. This was as good as we’ve played all season.”\n\nGilliam felt the same. He had three hits in four at-bats. The only time he got out was on a long fly ball caught by BYU’s Ryker Hurdsman on the warning track.\n\n“I never know how it (an at-bat) is going to play out. It’s one pitch at a time,” he said.\n\nGilliam said this was his best game since he had a five-hit night, including two homers, against the Big 12’s first-place team, Kansas, a month ago.\n\nHe was also delighted this effort came against BYU and gave Utah its first win over the Cougars this season.\n\nThe Utes improved to 22-19 overall and 10-13 in league, which puts them in ninth place. BYU fell to 23-22 and 12-11, a little higher in the standings at seventh.\n\nA sign of the game’s outcome was noted almost immediately when Long quieted the BYU crowd by lifting a one-out homer over the center-field fence to give Utah a 1-0 lead in the first inning.\n\nAfter BYU tied it, the Utes’ Luke Jacobs and Cameron Gurney had RBIs to give Riske a 3-1 cushion.\n\nThat’s all the 5-foot-11, 160-pounder needed. He faced 21 batters – with seven strikeouts and one walk – before leaving after the fifth inning with a 5-1 lead, thanks to Gilliam’s homer in the fourth inning and run-scoring single in the fifth.\n\nDiamant was never in trouble after that, thanks to a nice double play turned by Matt Flaherty and a running catch at the warning track by Long. Meanwhile, the Utes continued their offensive barrage against BYU hurlers Garrison Sumner and four others.\n\nEaston Jones had two of BYU’s seven hits and the lone RBI. Crew McChesney had a double and a walk in three at-bats, and might have had another double except for Long’s play.",
  "title": "Near-perfect night gives Utah its 1st win of the season over BYU"
}