BAKERSFIELD – Kellen O'Connor through 6.1 innings of five hit ball and allowed just a single earned run, lifting CSU Bakersfield to a 2-1 win over visiting Utah, Sunday at Hardt Field in Bakersfield, Calif. The Roadrunners salvaged the finale of a four-game series with the Utes, improving to 4-7 on the year, while Utah dropped to 8-2-1.
"We expect to play baseball no matter who the opponent is, but we're not afraid to play a tough schedule," said CSUB Head Coach Jeremy Beard. "Our guys want to be challenged and we stepped up to that challenge today. We have a great group that will only continue to get better over the course of the season."
O'Connor struck out eight and walked just two en route to his second win of the season. Graduate student Kenny Johnson earned the save with 1.2 innings of shutout relief, including a pair of ninth inning strikeouts and a key eighth-inning double play ball.
Evan Rice was the hero offensively, coming off the bench for a two-out, pinch hit double down the line in left that scored Andrew Allanson and Bailey Seeger.
Right fielder AJ Miller was 3-for-4 for Bakersfield.
HOW IT HAPPENED...
T4 | Utah's TJ Clarkson opened the scoring with his second home run of the series, this one a towering solo shot to straight away right field.
B6 | Andrew Allanson worked a one out walk and Bailey Seeger's infield single put runners on the corners to set the stage for pinch hitter Evan Rice. Rice slapped the second pitch he saw just out of the reach of Utah left-fielder Kai Roberts to drive in two and give CSUB the lead.
NOTABLE...
* AJ Miller was 7-for-15 in the series with a double, a walk and three runs scored. He now has nine hits in his last 17 at bats, dating back to his home run against Fresno State on Mar. 1.
* Kellen O'Connor's has worked at least five innings in each of his three starts this season, pitching to a 3.78 earned run average in 16.2 innings pitched. Sunday's outing was the longest of his career.
* Andrew Allanson was 4-for-12 with two walks and a home run in the series, slashing .333/.429/.583 after slumping early in the season.
* Catcher Bailey Seeger has at least one hit in his last six starts and in six of his last seven games overall. He's hitting .524 with a double and five RBI in that span.
* Bakersfield beat a Pac-12 opponent at Hardt Field for the first time since the second game of the 2020 campaign, when they walked off Washington State in the bottom of the ninth.
ON DECK...
Bakersfield will play one final contest as part of a season-opening 12-game home stand, welcoming former Western Athletic Conference rival California Baptist to Hardt Field on Tuesday, Mar. 8, at 6:05 p.m. The Roadrunners will then embark on a six-game road trip with a non-conference series scheduled at Pacific and a Big West opening series at UC Riverside.
