April 7, 2006
OREM, Utah - The University of Utah swept a doubleheader over Utah Valley State, 18-5 & 12-6, on Friday to take the first three games of the week long series between the two teams.
Utah combined to hit 11 home runs during the day, including nine in the first game as Utah Valley was unable to combat the Utes' proficiency at the plate.
The nine home runs sets a record for most home runs allowed in a game by the Wolverines and ties a record for home runs in a game by Utah.
In the first game, both teams were scoreless until the fourth when Utah's barrage of home runs began. After Jay Brossman tripled and scored on a ground out, John Welsh hit his sixth home run of the season and second against Utah Valley this week.
The Wolverines came back to knot it at two in the bottom of the fourth after a sac-fly RBI from
Chris Benson and an RBI double from
Canyon Vance.
From then on it was all Utah as the Utes scored the next 16 runs to take an 18-2 lead.
Three home runs in the fifth, one in the sixth and five in the seventh, including two by Erich Kemp, gave the Utes nine for the game.
Welsh also had two homers for Utah, giving him seven on the year, while Tyler Kmetko hit a grand slam in the seventh.
Josh Cooper (3-3) got the win on the mound for Utah while
Brett Guerrero (0-3) suffered the loss.
Utah Valley State scored three runs in the seventh on a two-run double by
Nick Connor and an RBI single from
Eli Slesk.
The second game began the way the first ended for both teams as Utah put five runs on the board in the top of the first, capped by a two-run home run by Joe Mozeleski.
Utah Valley got an RBI single from Benson in the bottom of the first to get on the board but Utah answered that run in the top of the second on a round tripper from Ryan Khoury.
The Wolverines cut the Utes's lead to 6-3 after a two-run second but would get no closer before falling 12-6.
Kalen Parsons (1-7) took the loss for Utah Valley State while Rory James (2-0) threw five innings of relief and allowed no runs on just three hits while striking out two.
With the sweep, Utah has won the first three games between the two in-state rivals so far this season.
The teams will wrap up the week tomorrow at 1pm at Wolverine Stadium in Orem.
