March 18, 2010
OREM, Utah - Sage Thorpe's first career home run couldn't have come at better time for the Wolverines.
The senior transfer from Phoenix College, who entered the game hitting .472, belted a pinch-hit home run to deep center with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning to lead Utah Valley to an 8-7 victory over Portland in the Wolverines' home opener Thursday night at Brent Brown Ballpark.
"We decided to put him in, get him on base and then run. We had it all worked out, but he (Thorpe) took care of it himself with the homer," UVU baseball coach Eric Madsen said.
UVU righthander Brian Whatcott earned his first victory of the season by retiring seven straight hitters - including five straight by strikeout. He recorded his first strikeout when the Pilots had the bases loaded in the eighth. Then he struck out the side in the ninth. He notched his fifth strikeout and got two groundouts in his perfect 10th before Thorpe's heroics.
"What a great job by Brian coming in with the bases loaded and getting the strikeout," Madsen said. "Portland is a scrappy club and they swing the bats, so I thought he did a nice job. He's our late-inning guy and with his stuff he is capable of doing that."
With the win, the Wolverines snap a three-game skid to improve to 5-6, while the Pilots fall to 10-6.
UVU's Chris Benson went 4-for-5 with a homer - his third of the year, three RBIs and two runs scored in the contest, while Jace Brinkerhoff went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored and Billy Burgess went 2-for-4 with three runs scored. Designated hitter Austin Heaps had a hit and two RBIs in the dramatic win.
Portland tagged UVU starter Kyle Beecher for a run in the first, but the Wolverines put up three in the bottom of the inning with a solo homer by Brinkerhoff - his first of the year - and Heaps singled in Burgess, who walked, and Benson, who reached on an infield single.
The Pilots added three in the top of the second to take a one-run lead before the Wolverines added two runs in the third on Benson's two-run dinger to left to lead 5-4.
After the Pilots tied the score with a run in the top of the fifth, Benson and Kevin Arendse, who had two hits, added RBI singles in the bottom of the frame to give the Wolverines the 7-5 advantage.
UVU's Blake Krahenbuhl held the Pilots in check for five innings of relief, but he didn't did get out of the eighth - his sixth inning of the night. The Pilots added two runs that were charged to the freshman righthander to tie the game at 7-7.
Krahenbuhl's line: Five-plus innings, three runs (all earned) with eight strikeouts and just one walk.
Portland was poised to take the lead with the bases loaded before Whatcott recorded a strikeout to end the threat.
The Wolverines loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth with three consecutive two-out singles by Brinkerhoff, Burgess and Benson, but Heaps grounded out to end the threat.
Game 2 of the three-game series with the Pilots is set for 6 p.m. Friday night, while the final game slated for 1 p.m. Saturday.
