April 5, 2007

Salt Lake City, Utah - Errors proved costly for Utah Valley as Utah earned a come-from-behind 10-9 win when Jesse Shriner hit a bases-loaded double in the bottom of the ninth in the opener of a four-game series on Thursday.

The Wolverines committed four errors in the game, leading to six unearned runs. UV went into the ninth with a 9-6 lead but that was trimmed to 9-7 after a two-out error by Dick Bargewell kept the Utes alive. Shriner then came up to deliver the game-winning hit, a line drive to right-center. All four runs in the ninth were unearned.

Utah took an early lead when Shriner, who finished with five RBI on the day, hit a two-run home run in the second inning.

After the Utes went up 3-0, Utah Valley put five runs on the board in the top of the fifth. After Tyler Garretson walked to lead off the fifth, three consecutive singles by Adam Openshaw, Eli Slesk and Derrick Thomas got the Wolverines on the board.

Ryan Jones capped the inning with a two-run single, scoring Thomas and Bargewell. Utah's defense also helped out in the inning, with three of the five runs unearned.

Austin Heaps gave UV a 7-3 lead in the fifth when blasted a 2-0 pitch over the centerfield wall, extending his hit streak to nine games.

Utah added a single run in the bottom of the fifth and two more in the seventh to trim the Wolverines lead to 7-6.

In the top of the ninth, Utah Valley got some insurance when Bargewell got a clutch two-out double down the left field line to score Slesk and Thomas.

Ryan Chadwick suffered the loss for Utah Valley after coming on in the ninth with two on and nobody out.

Bargewell lead UV with three hits while Thomas continued his hot streak with a 2-for-4 day.

The two teams will meet again on Friday night at 7pm in Orem. The series will wrap up on Saturday with a 1pm doubleheader in Salt Lake City.