March 25, 2007
Spokane, Wash. - Derrick Thomas and Eli Slesk provided the offensive fireworks as Utah Valley had a thrilling come-from-behind victory to take the series and split a doubleheader with Gonzaga, winning 9-8 and losing 5-0.
Thomas had a record-setting day from the plate, going 4-for-5 with a school-record tying six RBI. Thomas' biggest hit was an eighth inning, two-out grand slam that gave the Wolverines their first lead of the game. Slesk was 3-for-3 on the day with three runs scored.
Game one didn't get off to a promising start for the Wolverines as they quickly fell behind 6-0 after two innings. In the bottom of the first Gonzaga took advantage of a UV error while manufacturing two runs. The Bulldogs scored on a groundout and picked up an unearned run late in the inning on a sacrifice fly that would have yielded the third out of the inning.
Gonzaga did most of its damage in the second inning. After a leadoff single, the Wolverines quickly turned a double play to record two outs in the inning. The Bulldogs got a single from Ben Greenslitt and a RBI double from Evan Wells to go ahead, 3-0. After Bryan Winston was hit by a pitch, Darin Holcomb delivered the big blow of the inning, a three-run home run to end the day for UV starter Kyle Kasper.
In the top of the third, the Wolverines began to chip away at the lead. Slesk picked up a single and scored when Thomas picked up his first RBI of the day on a double to center field.
UV cut the lead in half by adding one run in each of the fifth and sixth innings. Adam Openshaw scored on a single by Slesk and a throwing error in the fifth. In the sixth, Jace Brinkerhoff scored as he led off the inning with a single and came around to score on an Austin Heaps RBI triple.
As the Wolverines mounted their comeback, the Bulldog hitters were held in check by UV reliever Turreal Moore. Moore pitched five strong innings, giving up only two hits to get the win for the Wolverines.
After Gonzaga plated a run in the bottom of the sixth, Utah Valley came back with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to cut the Bulldogs lead to 7-5. The runs came on RBI doubles from Thomas and Brinkerhoff.
Following a scoreless Gonzaga seventh, the Wolverines took their first lead of the game in a four-run eighth inning. Ryan Jones got on base with a one-out single. After Tyler Garretson got on base on a fielding error, Slesk walked to load the bases with two outs. Thomas came up huge again, this time nailing a grand slam to put UV ahead, 9-7.
Gonzaga scored a run in the bottom of the eighth but the Wolverines held on in the bottom of the ninth for the game one victory.
In the second game the Bulldogs led start to finish. Utah Valley only managed five hits and didn't score any runs. Only three Wolverines got into scoring position.
UV's best scoring opportunity came in the seventh inning when the Wolverines had runners on first and third with two outs. Heaps and Jones picked up singles to set up their scoring opportunity. Gonzaga pitcher Brandon Harmon got Garretson to fly out to get out of the inning unscathed.
Gonzaga scored runs in the first, second third and eighth innings to pick up its five runs. Darin Holcomb led the way for Gonzaga, going 3-for-4 with a pair of homers, three runs and three RBI.
The Wolverines return to action when they head to Salt Lake City to take on Utah Tuesday at 2 p.m.
