GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Utah Valley University held off a late North Dakota rally to win, 7-5, evening the three-game WAC series while also clinching a berth in the WAC Tournament in Mesa, Ariz. in two weeks.

Kade Andrus had three hits, including a home run, while Greyson Bogden also homered and drove in three runs and Palmer Page had three hits including a triple. Jackson Cofer didn't allow an earned run in 6.0 innings of work to earn his first collegiate win and Kyle Valgardson pitched the ninth to earn his fifth save.

"It feels good to get that win and assure ourselves a spot in the tournament," said head coach Eric Madsen. "I was happy with the way we hit the ball today. We had much better at-bats throughout the lineup than on Friday night."

Cofer's start matched his second-longest outing of the year, with his final line showing two unearned runs on three hits, four strikeouts and seven walks. It's his first win after suffering through minimal run support in earlier starts this season.

"Jackson has certainly pitched better than what his record shows and has deserved more than the one win so it's good to get that out of the way," Madsen said.

North Dakota (19-23, 13-10) threatened in the second, loading the bases with one out, but a strikeout and a leaping catch at the wall by Andrus in left kept game scoreless.

Page led off the fourth with a triple to center and then scored the first run on a blooper to right by Bogden, who then advanced to second on an error. After Jake Marvos reached on a bunt single, moving Bogden to third, Jordan Schlehuber hit a sacrifice fly to center to give UVU a 2-0 lead.

The Wolverines (16-31, 12-11) added another run after Marvos moved to second on a passed ball and then scored when Andrus bounced a single up the middle with two outs in the inning.

Both UVU home runs came in the seventh with Andrus leading off with a long home run just inside the foul pole in left. Page had a sac-fly to drive in the second run before Bogden lined his first home run of the year to left-center, scoring Brinkerhoff and making it 7-2.
 
North Dakota got three back in the bottom of the inning, aided in part by a pair of errors, to get within two runs. Then in the eighth UND had two aboard and one out for Jeff Campbell, who on Friday had a three-run home run and a grand slam and was at the plate as the potential go-ahead run. Patrick Wolfe got Campbell to fly out to deep right before Ryan Reese flew out to center to end the inning and preserve the lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, a leadoff walk and a two-out base hit again brought the potential winning run to the plate, but Valgardson got Cooper Maas to ground out to second to end it.

Utah Valley had 15 hits on the day, a season high on the road, with Andrus' home run his team-high sixth of the season. Zach Muckenhirn took the loss for North Dakota, allowing six runs (five earned) on 11 hits while striking out six. Ellery Bresnahan had two hits to lead UND.

The rubber match and home finale for North Dakota is scheduled for Sunday at noon CT.