May 14, 2010
OREM, Utah - The Utah Valley baseball team notched its first-ever 30-win season with a 13-3 victory over NJIT on Friday night at Brent Brown Ballpark. Chris Benson was 4-for-5 with two triples and tied the single-season school record with three runs batted in, giving him 66 on the season.
Senior Kevin Arendse hit a two-run home run on Senior Night for the Wolverines, who are now 30-17 overall and 19-2 in the Great West Conference, and Justin Campbell allowed just one run and struck out six over six innings to improve to 5-0.
"I thought it was a pretty good night for us from start to finish," said UVU head coach Eric Madsen. "Justin battled out of some things and the thing I was most pleased about was when we'd walk guys or commit errors we turned some double plays. For us to get to 30 wins is awesome. We won 18 last year and to turn it around is outstanding,"
A four-run fourth broke a 1-1 tie and a five-run sixth broke the game open for Utah Valley, which got two hits each from Jake Rickenbach, Jason Zundel, Goose Kallunki and senior Sage Thorpe in addition to Benson's night. Zundel also drove in two runs for UVU.
NJIT took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second before Benson led off the bottom half by tripling to right-center and then scoring when the throw from right got past the cut-off. Benson's two triples on the night give him seven on the season, setting a new single-season record. He is also the school's career leader with 13 triples.
In the fourth, Benson singled, stole second and then scored on a base hit by Kallunki before Arendse homered to make it 4-1.
Benson drove in three of the five runs in the fifth with a bases-loaded triple to left-center. The Wolverines walked four times in the inning with all four scoring.
Zundel had an RBI double and Billy Burgess drew a bases-loaded walk prior to the triple.
Jeffrey Pizzi led NJIT with three hits and two RBI with Bobby Wyrwa taking the loss on the mound for the Highlanders (11-36, 7-13 in GWC) after allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits in 5.2 innings.
Seniors Arendse, Thorpe, Jace Brinkerhoff and Craig Strinham were honored prior to the game.
The series continues on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. MT. The Wolverines' magic number to clinch the Great West regular season title now stands at four. Second-place Northern Colorado kept pace with UVU by defeating NYIT 11-1 on Friday.
