STOCKTON, Calif. – Utah Valley University edged Pacific, 4-3, on Sunday at Klein Family Field to earn a split of the four-game series. The Wolverines (3-4) won the final two games of the weekend.
Trevor Peterson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs while
Kade Poulsen had an RBI hit for UVU. Bradley Jekich went 3-for-4 for the Tigers (3-5), who finished with nine hits on the day.
Making his first start of the young season at third, Poulsen singled home a run to give UVU a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Michael Beltran walked with one out and moved to third on a base hit by
Trevor Peterson. Two batters later, Poulsen singled home Beltran on a two-out base hit to left.
That lead was short-lived though, when Keaton Glover led off the bottom half of the first with a solo home run to knot the score at 1-1. Pacific threatened in the second but UVU starter
Kaden Schmitt pitched around a leadoff triple, getting back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout to strand the runner and keep the game tied.
The Tigers took a brief lead in the fourth on a sacrifice fly before the Wolverines re-tied the contest with a run in the fifth. A pair of walks and a wild pitch put runners at second and third and with one out, Peterson grounded out to second to drive in
David Modler and make it 2-2.
The Wolverines took the lead with two runs in the seventh, taking advantage of two walks, a hit batter and a pair of errors in the inning. Modler walked,
Trevor Howell was hit by a pitch and Beltran reached on an error to load the bases before Peterson walked to force in a run and give UVU a 3-2 lead. With two outs in the inning, Poulsen reached on an error that allowed Howell to score, giving the Wolverines a 4-2 lead.
Pacific got back-to-back doubles in the eighth to get within a run and had the potential tying run in scoring position with one out.
Marco Briones came out of the bullpen and got a flyball to center for the second out before Drew Hill came in and, following a wild pitch that moved the runner to third, got a groundout to Howell at short to keep the lead.
Hill retired the side in order in the ninth to pick up his first career save. Schmitt lasted 5.0 innings and struck out five and left with the game tied. Jake Carr picked up the win after pitching 2.1 innings in relief. Briones' appearance was his third consecutive hitless outing to start the season.
Next weekend Utah Valley travels to Texas A&M Corpus Christi for a four game series starting Friday, March 2. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday before Sunday's series finale.
