2017 WAC Baseball Tournament Bracket

LYNNWOOD, Wash. – Zac Willis went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs as Utah Valley University won the regular season finale, 8-5, over Seattle University to win the weekend series. The Wolverines now head to Mesa, Arizona for the 2017 WAC Tournament at Hohokam Stadium beginning next Wednesday afternoon. 

Willis delivered a go-ahead, two-run single during a three-run seventh inning and then homered to lead off the ninth for his seventh of the season. He also had an RBI double in a three-run third inning that tied the game at the time.
 
Utah Valley (18-34, 11-13) will open defense of its 2016 WAC Tournament title on Wednesday at 3 p.m. MST/4 p.m. MT. The Wolverines will be the No. 4 seed and face Northern Colorado in the opener of the double-elimination tournament that will decide the WAC's automatic berth to an NCAA Regional.

In Saturday's game, the Redhawks (19-33-1, 8-16) scored two runs in the bottom of the first for the third straight game. Utah Valley starter Paxton Schultz struggled to find the zone, walking four hitters in the inning, one to force in a run before an infield single by Curtis Perrin drove in the second run. In the second, the Redhawks took a 3-0 lead on a sacrifice fly from Griffin Andreychuk, plating Cameron Sterne, who walked to begin the inning.

The Wolverines came back to tie it in the third, scoring three times with two outs. Callahan Moltzan drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly before Willis and Jake Berry doubled on back-to-back pitches. Willis hit a ground-rule double to right-center that scored Trevor Howell before Berry – Friday's hero after his 10th-inning, game-winning home run – traded places with Willis after a grounder just inside the bag at third. The Redhawks added single runs in the third and fourth to re-take a two-run lead, at 5-3.

Skyler Davis drove in a run in the sixth on a grounder to second, getting UVU with a run, 5-4. Davis drove in Justin Erlandson, who singled, stole second, and moved to third on a single by Paul Estrada.

Willis came through again in the seventh after the Wolverines loaded the bases with nobody out. Peterson singled to begin the inning before consecutive walks to Howell and Moltzan. Following a pitching chance, Willis went after the first pitch, lining into center to score two and give Utah Valley its first lead of the game, 6-5. Two batters later Erlandson drove in a run on a fielder's choice to give the Wolverines a two-run lead.

Paul Estrada (3-1) pitched 4.2 innings in relief, allowing one run on four hits to pick up the win. Patrick Wolfe got the final four outs, navigating through a pair of leadoff hits in the ninth with a double play and a strikeout to notch his school-record 11th save.