March 17, 2011

OREM, Utah -- Southern Utah scored four runs in the ninth to break a 6-6 tie, taking the opener of a three-game series, 10-7, over Utah Valley on Thursday night at Brent Brown Ballpark.

Chris Benson and Goose Kallunki drove in three runs apiece for the Wolverines (3-11) while Taylor Shaw had four RBI including a home run for the T-Birds (7-8).

The lead changed hands six times during the course of the game. After Shaw's solo home run in the second gave SUU an early lead, UVU scored three times in the third - two coming on a Benson base hit - to lead 3-1 after three.

Southern Utah tied it in the fourth before Benson gave Utah Valley the lead again with another RBI single in the bottom half of the inning. In the sixth, Shaw drove in his third and fourth runs of the game with a single, giving SUU a 5-4 lead.

In the seventh, Kallunki had a two-out, two-run double to left center that scored Willie Pratt and Billy Burgess to put the Wolverines back in front, 6-5.

That lead was short-lived though with Mitchell Kauweloa singling home Marcus Romero in the eighth, tying it at 6-6. In the inning, the Wolverines escaped a bases-loaded, one out jam with a 6-4-3 double play to keep the game tied heading into the bottom of the eighth.

In the ninth though, Bo Cuthbertson had a bases-loaded single to plate two T-Birds runs and Kauweloa added another two-run single to give SUU a 10-6 advantage. Kauweloa had three hits and three batted and Cuthbertson also had three hits.

Benson reached on an infield single to start the ninth and scored on Kallunki's second double of the game for the final margin. In addition to Benson's three-hit day, Jason Zundel also had three hits for Utah Valley.

The series continues on Friday at 6 p.m. MT with Saturday's finale set for 1 p.m.