May 7, 2011
EDINBURG, Texas - Each starting Utah Valley catcher hit a three-run home run in both ends of a doubleheader sweep, 9-6 and 6-5, at Texas-Pan American on Saturday.
Court Zollinger had an RBI double during a five-run second inning and hit a three-run shot to left, his first collegiate home run, during a four-run fifth in the opener. Then in the second game of the twin bill, Alex Exon's three-run home run gave the Wolverines a lead during a four-run fourth.
"Both of them did a great job getting a pitch they could drive. Those were the difference in both games," said head coach Eric Madsen. "We also had guys make some great pitches in huge situations."
In the first game, UVU (22-20, 14-1) trailed 1-0 after one inning before the five-run second. In addition to Zollinger, Kai Hatch, Billy Burgess and Jason Zundel each had an RBI in the frame.
In the fifth, with the Wolverines up 5-3, Chris Benson singled and scored on a double by Austin Heaps. Two hitters later, Hatch singled before Zollinger's home run, a towering shot to left, made it 9-3.
The Broncs (19-22, 8-11) put a dent in the score with three in the eighth and had the go-ahead run at the plate with the bases loaded before Kyle Beecher induced a fly-ball to center to end the inning.
Beecher closed out the game to get his first save with Zane Gray (2-1) getting the win. Heaps was 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI while Hatch had two hits and Zollinger finished with four RBI.
In the second game, after Exon delivered his go-ahead home run in the fourth, Utah Valley added a single run in the fifth before UTPA scored twice in the bottom of the inning to get within two, 5-3.
Reliever Craig Brimhall got three double plays during his 3.1 innings of work. In the fifth, he induced a 6-4-3 twin-killing to end a threat before an unconventional double play in the sixth. Mike McCarthy his a sac-fly that scored Roger Bernal, but Brimhall, backing up behind the plate was able to field Benson's throw from center to get Alex Carnall trying to advance to third, ending the inning.
Goose Kallunki had a two-out double to drive in Benson in the sixth to extend the lead to 6-3 before UTPA got a run back in the bottom of the inning to make it 6-4.
In the eighth, the Broncs scored on a base hit by Carnall to get within a run, 6-5, and had runners at second and third with just one out. Adrian De La Rosa attempted a squeeze-bunt with two strikes but fouled it off to strike out before Ryan Chadwick came in and got McCarthy to ground out to end the inning.
Chadwick pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to finish off the game and get the save, his second, with Brimhall (3-1) getting the win. Benson and Hatch both had three hits for Utah Valley.
The Wolverines will now go for the series sweep on Sunday at noon CT.
