USAFA, Colo. – Utah Valley University fell 14-8 in a midweek game on Monday at Air Force. The teams combined to score 19 runs over the first five innings in the lightning-filled contest that featured two delays due to strikes in the area.

Palmer Page had three hits for the Wolverines (12-25) with Spencer Gothberg and Craig Brinkerhoff adding two hits apiece on the 12-hit day for UVU. The Falcons (19-20) improved to 11-2 at home on the year on an 19-hit day that included a 4-for-5 afternoon from Adam Groesbeck. Travis Wilkie was 3-for-4 with a home run and four runs scored for Air Force. Three different players – Shaun Mize, Noah Pierce and Spencer Draws – drove in three runs each.

The Wolverines got four in the top of the first, all after there were two outs and nobody on. Craig Brinkerhoff singled, Zac Fuller walked and then both scored on a double to left-center by Spencer Gothberg. Palmer Page singled home Gothberg and then scored on a Jake Atkinson double down the line in left.

The Falcons got two on a double by Draws, also doing all of their work after there were two down and the bases empty. Air Force scored four more in the second and, after Atkinson had his second RBI on a groundout, added two more to lead 8-5 after three.

With Air Force leading 9-5 in the bottom of the fourth, the first lightning strike in the area delayed the game for 40 minutes.

After that stoppage, the Wolverines scored three times in the top of the fifth. Jordan Schlehuber drove home Gothberg on a double to left-center before Bogden added an RBI on a base hit up the middle that plated Page. Seth Rhineer then reached on a bunt single that scored Schlehuber and got UVU within a run at 9-8.

Schlehuber made a pair of defensive plays that ended innings and kept runs off the board. He snared a liner inside third with a diving play to end the fifth with runners aboard and in the eight lunged to his left and retired the batter to end the inning with two on.

Travis Wilkie, who hit his first home run earlier in the game, doubled home a run in the fifth for Air Force and later scored on a groundout to stretch the Falcon lead back to 11-8.

The second delay hit in the bottom of the sixth with two outs and nobody on.
 
Utah Valley returns to WAC play this weekend at Brent Brown Ballpark when Grand Canyon comes to Orem for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. MT.