Utah's Nate Forbush had already circled the bases and touched home plate, but still no decision had been made whether his long blast into the night in the bottom of the 10th inning was fair or foul.
First base umpire Blake Jensen hadn't made a call and was consulting with the home plate umpire Jim Paronto. Finally, after several anxious moments, Paronto signaled home run, and the Utes started celebrating an 8-6 victory over BYU.The win propelled the Utes into first place in the Western Athletic Conference North Division race, a game ahead of the Cougars, who still can't figure out how to win at Franklin Quest Field. Thursday night's loss was the fifth straight at Franklin Quest and the seventh in nine games since the two rivals started playing there in 1995.
Both Utah coach Tim Esmay and BYU coach Gary Pullins commented on what a great game was played Thursday night in front of 2,017. "This was an outstanding baseball game," said Pullins, "played by inches and won by inches."
The lead had changed hands five times before being sent into extra innings when BYU tied the score at 6-6 with two out in the 9th.
In the bottom of the 10th, Dusty Atkinson led off with a walk against BYU's Brett McDermaid. Forbush followed and sent a changeup pitch high and long down the right field line. Jensen didn't make a call and waited to talk to Paronto, who had to wait while Forbush touched all the bases.
"In my opinion, it was so high and far, the guy (umpire) didn't see it," said Esmay. "He just didn't know. It showed me something that he got some help on the call."
After the call was made, the umpires made a beeline for the clubhouse, leaving the Cougars with no one to complain to. However, Pullins had no quarrel with the decision afterward.
"I believe it was a good call," said Pullins. "I just wanted to know why they made it. But I think the ball was fair."
Forbush, who said he "got all of it," thought the ball was fair, right down the line.
"I knew they'd have a problem with it because it was so high and the way it tailed," he said. "I was praying for them to call it fair and apparently it was."
The Cougars had gone up 3-1 in the third inning as Troy Farnsworth knocked in a pair of runs with a single. However, the Utes answered with three of their own in the bottom of the inning as Atkinson singled, Michael Heidemann doubled, Travis Flint singled and Curtis Hall doubled in a pair of runs off Cougar starter Micah Mangrum.
No one could score until the eighth, when BYU picked up two runs without the aid of a hit. Utah had oddly changed pitchers, replacing Rick Clagett with Ray Clinton, who promptly walked two batters. Ute closer Brandon Page came in and walked D.G. Nelson. The Utes thought they had an inning-ending double play, but Matt Stringham was ruled safe at first. Another run scored when the Utes threw to second to try to nail Stringham on a steal.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Utes went back on top 6-5 on Casey Child's double to right-center. Child was stranded, however, as Jared Jensen struck out three Utes to end the inning.
Utah was one pitch from victory in the top of the ninth when Farnsworth singled up the middle on a 2-2 pitch to score Glen Spencer from second.
The Utes (17-5, 30-16) and Cougars (16-6, 28-11) were to play again Friday afternoon and conclude the three-game series Saturday with a noon contest.