May 21, 2006
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota - Utah Valley State (19-37) dropped the final game of the 2006 season, a 12-4 loss to IPFW at the Division-I Independent Tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Sunday.
The Wolverines led 3-1 after three innings but the Mastodons, out of Fort Wayne, Indiana, scored eight consecutive runs to take a 9-3 lead and never looked back.
Brad Hales, Chris Benson and Kade Boyer led Utah Valley with two hits each.
After IPFW (21-28) struck first with a single run in the top of the first, the Wolverines tied it after Canyon Vance singled home Hales with two out in the bottom of the first.
Utah Valley took the lead in the fourth after mounting a two-out rally. Cory Newton reached on a bunt single and Jason Zundel walked to put two men on with two outs.
After Boyer picked up an infield single, Hales drove in two runs with a double to right that scored Newton and Zundel, giving Utah Valley a 3-1 lead.
The Mastodons got a run back in the fifth after Ryan Keena doubled to lead off the inning, moved to third on a single from Tyler Fowler and then scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Tony Nichting.
IPFW added three more runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Keena, a sac-bunt RBI from Caleb Smith and an RBI single from Fowler to take a 5-3 lead.
The Mastodons continued their success in the seventh, adding four more runs on four hits. Chris Venvertloh and Keena both had RBI hits while Fowler ripped a bases loaded double to score two runs for his fifth hit of the game and giving IPFW a 9-3 lead.
The Wolverines got a run back inthe seventh to cut it to 9-4 but three runs in the ninth sealed it for IPFW.
Tyler Fowler was 5-for-5 with three RBI on the day and finishes the tournament a remarkable 12-for-15.
With the loss Utah Valley State finishes 2-2 in the tournament.
Nick Connor was 0-for-5 on Sunday but 9-for-21 in the tournament as he finishes his senior season with an impressive .434 batting average.
Orem native Benson finished his freshman season with a .367 average while Dan Bulow had 13 home runs on the year.
Kam Mickolio led the pitching staff with six wins in a season that also included two shutouts for the 6'9 hurler out of Bozeman, Montana.
