OXFORD, Miss.—Utah’s run in the NCAA Regionals has come to an end. The 4th-seeded Utes (26-29) were eliminated by the 2nd-seed Tulane Green Wave (41-20) at Swayze Field at Oxford-University Stadium on Sunday, 4-1.
Despite never having more wins than losses in the season, the gritty Utes found a way to overcome a tough non-conference schedule and become the first men’s team at the University of Utah to win a Pac-12 championship.
After upsetting top-seeded Mississippi on Friday night, the Utes fell to Boston College on Saturday in Oxford, 4-3. In the double-elimination regional tournament, the Utes faced the Green Wave in hopes of a rematch against Boston College in Sunday’s nightcap at Swayze Field.
Utah starting pitcher Josh Lapiana allowed two home runs in the fourth inning against Tulane—first a 2-run homer to junior Tulane catcher Jeremy Montalbano, followed later by a solo home run from third baseman Hunter Hope.
Lapiana pitched 4 2/3 innings before being replaced by freshman reliever Riley Ottesen, who followed up Friday’s remarkable performance with 4 1/3 innings, striking out seven batters, and allowing one run in the 8th inning.
The Utes offense has been no stranger to needing late-game comebacks this season, but this time, the Utah bats were mostly quiet. They struggled getting to freshman Tulane starting pitcher Ross Massey. Utah’s best chance came with the bases loaded in the 4th inning, trailing 3-0, but were unable to plate any runners.
Cody Scaggari tried to spark his team’s offense in the 8th inning with a solo home run to left field with two outs, but that was the last hit Utah would get off Tulane.
The Utes finished the season with a 26-29 overall record, including 19-11 in the Pac-12.
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