May 18, 2010
PROVO, Utah -- Utah Valley got a grand slam from Goose Kallunki and a three-run shot from Chris Benson before outlasting BYU in a four hour and 48 minute, 14-12, 10-inning win on a rainy night at Larry H. Miller Field in Provo.
The rain came and went for much of the night and caused a 58-minute delay in the top of the 10th. The Wolverines (34-17) had runners on first and second and nobody out in the 10th prior to the delay.
After the break, Jace Brinkerhoff smashed an RBI double off the wall in left -- his 100th hit of the season -- driving home Jake Rickenbach for the game-winning run. Brinkerhoff scored the 14th run on a sac-fly by Billy Burgess.
It was an offensive night for both clubs and it started with the teams combining for 16 runs over the first two innings.
Burgess singled home Rickenbach in the first to get UVU on the board. Benson then hit his team-leading 12th home run of the year, giving him 74 batted-in on the year and the Wolverines a 4-0 lead.
The Cougars (23-28) came right back with four in the bottom of the first, the last two on Sean McNaughton's 51st career home run, setting a new Mountain West Conference record.
The Wolverines batted thru the order in the second and scored six times. Two came on a single by Brinkerhoff on a three-RBI night for the senior and the other four on Kallunki's grand slam -- his 10th home run of the season -- a tape-measure shot over the scoreboard in left.
BYU clawed its way back with two in the third and two more in the sixth to tie the game at 10. McNaughton's second home run of the day tied it in the sixth.
Derek Amicone had a go-ahead bases-loaded single to put the Wolverines up a run as part of two runs in the seventh. Again though the Cougars answered with two in the bottom half to tie it at 12, where it stood until the 10th.
Brian Whatcott (3-0) pitched the ninth and got the win for the Wolverines while Justin Campbell pitched the 10th and got his first save. Chris Howard was charged with a run after starting the 10th and took the loss on a night when both teams used seven pitchers due to both the offense and the rain.
Rickenbach had a team-high three hits and scored three times while Brinkerhoff also scored three times. McNaughton led the Cougars with four hits and five RBI.
The win gives the Wolverines a split of the season series with BYU and a 9-4 overall record in-state in 2010. It's also Utah Valley's first win in 10 tries at Miller Park as the team improves to 6-13 all-time against BYU.
UVU now travels to Houston Baptist for the final Great West Conference series of the season starting Thursday afternoon.
