Aggies mercy-rule Bengals, sweep series
The Utah State baseball team picked up a series sweep over the Idaho State University Bengals this weekend. The Aggies won 13-3 in seven innings Friday night and picked up a pair of wins Saturday with scores of 4-2 and 12-8.
USU 13, ISU 3
The Bengals got on the board first when Kyle Durrant gave up a home run to ISU’s lead-off batter. Durrant rebounded with two consecutive strikeouts to end the inning.
USU helped its pitcher out by scoring five runs in the inning, including RBI doubles off the bats of Brady Zimmerman and Brett Jensen. The Aggies batted through the lineup and, thanks to Idaho State errors, led 5-1 after the first inning.
“They came ready to play – they were mentally tough right from the beginning,” Doyle said.
Jensen came up big for the Aggies in the bottom of the second. The outfielder hit a bomb that scored a run and landed him on second base. Six more runs scored, including two on an RBI double up the center from Garret Shiffman.
Jeff Bartholomew hit a deep solo home run in the fifth inning.
“I feel good. I feel comfortable,” Bartholomew said. “Sometimes you get up and all you can see are holes out there.”
Bartholomew leads the Aggies with a .556 batting average.
“He’s hitting the ball really, really well,” Doyle said.
The Bengals threatened in the six inning, but the Aggies got out of the jam unhurt. The game was called early because of the 10-run rule.
USU 4, ISU 2
The Aggies scored two runs in the first inning and then added another in the second on a double to center field. The Aggies led 3-1 after two.
With Sixto Cabrera on the mound, the Aggies got out of a jam in the top of the fifth. With a runner on third base, Cabrera picked up a strikeout to end the inning.
“I didn’t try to pull anything,” Cabrera said. “I just tried to stay like myself.”
The Aggies added another run on a passed ball before Gavin Johnson lined out to end the innings. The Bengals had one final chance to score in the seventh, but USU caught an ISU runner stealing second.
USU 12, ISU 8
ISU hit a homer and the Aggies answered with one of their own.
“It was a little bit different than what we’ve been used to,” Doyle said. “We didn’t blow these guys out, but that’s good for us. It humbled us a little bit.”
The Bengals took a five-run lead with a high-scoring third inning, but the Aggies battled back to within two, in the bottom on the fourth, led by a home run from Sixto Cabrera.
“I just try to have my best swing and wait for a pitch to drive,” Cabrera said.
Durrant hit a homerun in the sixth inning to make the score 8-6 at the end of five innings.
Led off by a deep double, the Aggies tied up the game and then took the lead on a deep hit to left center off the bat of Matt Stranski.
The Aggies added three more runs in the inning and held out in the seventh for the win.
– meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu