March 29, 2011

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Utah Valley fell to Utah on Tuesday at Spring Mobile Ballpark, 15-3, in the first of four midweek games the teams will play in 2011.

Goose Kallunki had two of the six hits for the Wolverines (6-14) and Chris Benson drove in two runs with a base hits, extending his hit streak to 12 games, but the Utes (11-9) got three RBI each from four different players. Utah scored nine of its runs in the sixth inning or later to pull away.

The Utes sent 10 batters to the plate and scored four times in the second inning to take an early lead.

The Wolverines responded with three in the third with, using a two-out rally to trim the deficit to 4-3. With two down and a runner on, Willie Pratt doubled to right center to score Jason Zundel before moving to third on the throw.

Cole McWhorter followed with a bunt single and took second on wild pitch before Benson's single brought both runners home.

The Utes added two runs in the fourth, on a double by Shaun Cooper and base hit by Cody Guymon, before plating three more in the sixth to stretch the lead to 9-3. Guymon drove home two more runs in the innings with another single.

Austin Shackelford drove in two of his three runs batted in with a triple as Utah pulled away with a five-run eighth inning. Cooper, Guymon, Shackelford and Michael Beltran were the three Utah players to finish with four RBI.

Kyle Beecher (1-2) took the loss while Joe Pond (2-3) threw five innings and got the win for the Utes. The teams will also meet April 12 and 26 in Orem and May 17 in Salt Lake City.

Utah Valley now travels to Reno for a three-game series with Nevada of the Western Athletic Conference. The series begins Friday at 6 p.m. MT with the final games of the series slated for Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. MT.