April 20, 2009

OREM, Utah - Two big innings propelled Southern Utah to a 12-11 come-from-behind win over Utah Valley on Monday night at Brent Brown Ballpark. The Wolverines (11-28) led 8-1 after five but the T-Birds (20-15) scored 11 runs on 11 hits over the sixth and seventh innings.

Jake Rickenbach led UVU with a 5-for-6 night that included a two-out, three-run home run in the ninth that brought the tying run to the plate. Kyle Melling then came on to retire Cole Anderson on a fly-out to right to end the game.

Keli'i Zablan (2-0) pitched 3.2 innings in relief to get the win. Zablan allowed three runs, all on Rickenbach's home run, on four hits. Jake Menzo (1-2) took the loss for the Wolverines.

Jace Brinkerhoff's three-run home run powered a four-run first inning that put Utah Valley up early.

Wolverine starter Jory Jensen escaped a few early jams and didn't give up a run until the fifth when Chester Wilson singled home Bo Cuthbertson. The T-Birds had eight hits thru five innings off of Jensen but had stranded nine runners to that point.

UVU added three more runs in the fifth on a Kevin Arendse triple, a wild pitch and a Ryan Jones bouncer thru the right side that scored Kirk Doxey to take an 8-1 lead.

Jensen left the game with one out and one runner on and a seven-run lead and seemed destined for his third win. But four singles, a triple and three walks off of three different pitchers got SUU back into the game with a six-run sixth inning.

The T-Birds did it with base hits in the sixth and then used the long ball in the seventh. Home runs from Nick Freitas, Bucky Aona and Dalen Isom drove in all five runs in the inning.

Brinkerhoff, who had three hits on the day and is two shy of tying the school career hit record, pitched the final 2.1 innings and allowed just one hit and one walk.

Riley White, Chris Benson, Arendse and Jones all had two-hit days for the Wolverines. Cuthbertson led SUU with four hits while Ison had three and a four runs batted in.