PHOENIX, Arizona – A three-run seventh inning broke a 3-3 tie and sent Utah Valley University to a 6-3 win at Grand Canyon University on Saturday. The win gave the Wolverines (13-12, 2-1) the road WAC series win over the league favorite on the conference's opening weekend.
 
Jackson Cofer gave UVU a quality start and Jake Mayer came on to pitch three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Cofer allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out five in 6.0 innings to get the win to move to 2-3 while Mayer allowed just one baserunner to pick up his first career save in tossing the last three innings.
 
"Jake did an outstanding job of coming in there and pitching great and kept the pressure on them. Our pitching all weekend was superb," said UVU head coach Eric Madsen. "To lose on the first night the way we did and to come back and win the series is huge. I'm very proud of the guys for finding a way to win a big series against a very good team."
 
Craig Brinkerhoff and Jordan Schlehuber both had two hits and scored two runs for the Wolverines and Mark Krueger hit a two-run home run in the seventh, his third of the season. Paul Panaccione had three hits to lead Grand Canyon (12-12, 1-2).
 
Stone Ramsey's RBI groundout got UVU on the board in the third before Trevor Howell doubled home two runs in the fifth to extend the lead to 3-0. Howell pulled a ball just inside the line past third to score Brinkerhoff and Schlehuber.
 
Grand Canyon knotted the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth, with Jordan Smith's double driving home one of the runs.
 
In the decisive seventh inning for Utah Valley, Ramsey delivered the go-ahead – and winning – run on a single thru the right side that plated Schlehuber. Two batters later, Krueger homered on a 3-1 pitch to right.
 
The Wolverines return to Utah next week and will play at the University of Utah on Tuesday before a weekend series against North Dakota in WAC play.