April 26, 2007

OREM, Utah - The Utah Valley baseball team got strong pitching from Marcus Moore and Craig Brimhall to beat Pac-10 foe Washington 8-5 on Thursday. The two combined to strike out 12 batters in the game.

Utah Valley upped its record to 18-24 and they are now one win away from tying the single season record for wins. The victory was the 10th home win of the season, which is a new school record.

Tyler Garretson, Eli Slesk, Jace Brinkerhoff and Keiki Albino each had two hits to pace the Wolverines offensive attack.

Moore upped his record to 5-3 by striking out 10 in eight innings of work, the second time Moore has fanned 10 batters or more. Brimhall earned his first career save by striking out two, including the final batter Matt Hague on a called strike three.

Utah Valley jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Brinkerhoff hit a towering homerun over the right-center fence.

UV extended its lead to 3-0 in the third. With one out, Tyler Garretson doubled down the right field line and Slesk walked. Derek Thomas then reached base on a Washington fielding error, allowing Garretson to score. Austin Heaps followed by singling home Slesk to up the lead to 3-0.

Washington (20-19) scored two runs in the fourth after a two-run homerun by Hague. After the Huskies scored another run in the fifth, the Wolverines countered with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning to lead 6-3.

Adam Openshaw plated Heaps, who led off the inning with a walk, and Albino drove in Brinkerhoff with his second double of the game.

UV pushed its lead to 7-3 in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Openshaw. The Huskies scored two runs in the eighth but UV added its final run in the bottom half of the inning on double by Slesk.

The series continues on Friday when the two teams square off again at 7 p.m.