Sean Keating homered three times and drove in a career-high six runs to help lead Utah Tech to a 12-4 victory over Wichita State in the first game of a four-game series on Wednesday at Bruce Hurst Field.
With the game tied at 1-1 in the UT third inning, the Trailblazers hit back-to-back-to-back home runs as part of a five-run rally to open up a 6-1 lead.
Mathew Ivancich and and
Shane Taylor both singled to lead off the frame ahead of
Bryker Hurdsman, who drilled a 2-0 offering from WSU starter Cameron Bye over the wall in right center for his second homer of the season.
Then two pitches later, Keating blasted a towering solo shot over the right field wall, which spelled the end of the day for Bye.
Tyson Fisher then stepped up and ambushed the first pitch he saw from Shocker reliever Jace Miner and sent it over the left field for his third homer of the year to spot Utah Tech (2-3) a five-run cushion.
Wichita State (1-3) clapped back with a pair of runs in the fourth to cut the UT lead to 6-3, but the Trailblazers answered with five more in the sixth to extend to an 11-3 advantage.
Utah Tech loaded the bases on consecutive one-out singles from
Garrett Cutting and Ivancich, while Taylor walked on four-straight pitches.
Hurdsman was then hit by a Nate Snead fastball to force in one run, which brought up Keating, who cleared the bases with his second long ball of the day. The senior first baseman would later cap his career day with an opposite field lead-off homer to left on the first pitch of the eighth inning.
Meanwhile, three Trailblazer pitchers combined to strike out 10 Shockers and scattered 10 hits and four runs on the afternoon. Freshman
Dakoda West (ND) fanned three and allowed three runs on six hits over 4.0 innings in his first collegiate start.
Sophomore southpaw Carston Herman (W, 1-0) followed and surrendered only one run on three hits and tied a career high with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings to earn his first collegiate decision. Junior
Trevor Meisner then closed out the win with 2.2 innings of one-hit shutout relief with three punchouts.
Utah Tech outhit Wichita State 12-10, with Hurdsman, Fisher, and Ivancich each collecting two hits to complement Keating's career day. Hurdsman also notched career highs with four RBI and three runs scored.
Keating became the second Trailblazer in the program's new NCAA Division-I era to hit three homers in a game. Former UT All-American Jake Engel was the first to do during the 2021 season at San Diego State (4/24/21). Keating also became the second Trailblazer this season to hit homers in consecutive plate appearances, joining Fisher on the list, who did it in Sunday's win over Portland.
Utah Tech's three-consecutive home runs in the third inning also marked the first time that occurred in the program's D-I transition. The last time the Trailblazers hit three home runs in one inning came during the 2019 season in a 28-9 road rout of Adams State (3/10/19).
Due to forecasted inclement weather on Thursday, the two teams will continue their four-game series with a doubleheader on Friday afternoon beginning at 2:05 p.m.
