OREM, Utah – Utah Valley University salvaged its WAC series against Sacramento State, winning 7-6 behind a handful of key at-bats and solid relief work out of the bullpen.
 
A pair of freshmen, Kade Poulsen and Paxton Schultz, both proved big in the win. Poulsen hit a go-head, two-run home run in the fourth for what turned out to be the game-winning RBIs, and Schultz pitched 5.0 innings in relief while striking out a career-best seven. Jackson Overlund and Zac Willis both had game-tying hits to answer a pair of Hornets' run-scoring innings. Overlund hit a two-out, two-run home run in the first, and Willis lined a two-run double off the wall in left in the third. 
 
"He kept them where we needed him to and to give us a chance and he did that," said UVU head coach Eric Madsen of Schultz' performance. "We talked about everyone on the team having their own responsibility and I think our guys did that. To be able to respond when they scored was key and something you need to be able to do to be successful."
 
The Hornets (14-12, 2-4) had a lead four pitches into the game after Ian Dawkins tripled on the first pitch and scored on a base hit by Andrew McWilliam. Sac State went up 2-0 after a two-out, bases-loaded walk forced in McWilliam.
 
The Wolverines (9-17, 4-2) answered in the bottom half of the inning after Trevor Howell singled with one out and Overlund tied it with the home run to center, his third of the season.
 
Kody Reynolds hit a two-run home run in the third to push the Hornets back in front by a pair of runs, but again UVU would answer. Willis' double scored David Modler and Trevor Peterson and tied the game at 4-4, before an error on a groundball off the bat of Overlund allowed Willis to score and give the Wolverines their first lead of the series, 5-4.
 
After Sac State tied it with a run in the fourth, Justin Erlandson led off the bottom half with a double to right before Poulsen hit his second home run of the series to give Utah Valley the lead for good.
 
Vinny Esposito hit a tape-measure shot to lead off the fifth to get the Hornets within a run and Reynolds followed him with a double to put the tying run in scoring position with no outs. Schultz escaped though, getting a groundout to short and back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat. Sac State threatened again in the sixth, putting runners at the corners and just one out, but Schultz did it again, getting James Outman and Esposito on strikeouts, both looking, to end the inning.
 
Schultz retired the last eight hitters he faced, four via strikeout, before closer Patrick Wolfe came on and recorded his sixth save. Wolfe hit PJ Floyd to begin the ninth but retired the next three hitters. After Overlund tracked down a well-struck ball in left-center, Wolfe struck out Esposito swinging and got Reynolds looking to secure the win. Wolfe, Schultz and starter Kaden Schmitt, who struck out five, combined to strikeout a season-high 14 batters for Utah Valley.

The Wolverines now travel to Las Vegas for a midweek contest at UNLV next Tuesday before returning home for a non-conference series against Incarnate Word starting next Friday night at Brent Brown Ballpark.