OREM, Utah – Twenty-second ranked UC Irvine scored a run in the ninth to tie it and 13 in the top of the 10th to earn a 17-4 come-from-behind extra-inning victory over Utah Valley in game two of a three game non-conference series on Saturday afternoon at UCCU Ballpark. 
 
Paxton Schultz pitched well on the day to give the Wolverines (3-15) a chance as they held a 4-1 lead into the eighth inning, but the Anteaters (11-4) managed to rally late with two in the eighth, one in the ninth, and 13 in the 10th to secure the series.
 
With two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the first, UVU picked up its first run of the series thanks to a solo home run to left from Alexander Marco. Marco's team-leading third homer of the season just got out of the park over the outstretched glove of UCI leftfielder Jake Palmer to give the Wolverines the early lead. 
 
The Anteaters then didn't waste any time answering, as they countered with a run of their own in the top of the second to tie the score at 1-1. After a walk and a hit batter, Mike Peabody delivered an RBI single up the middle to tie the score. UCI later loaded the bases in the frame and threatened for more, but UVU starter Schultz managed to pitch out of the jam to strand a trio of base runners. 
 
Still 1-1 in the third, UVU then got a one-out double from Trevor Howell and he later came around to score on a two-out hit from Kody Hall to give the Wolverines a 2-1 lead. Hall's two-out single to left was well placed, as landed right in between UCI's Palmer and Christian Koss. 
 
UC Irvine then got back-to-back one-out singles in the top of the sixth, but UVU's Schultz managed to respond by striking out Palmer and drawing a flyout off the bat of Mikey Filia to maintain the 2-1 lead for the Wolverines.
 
With UVU still holding to the 2-1 lead in the seventh, the Anteaters then threatened with two on and nobody out. After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, Utah Valley reliever Cole Yocum then came on and retired the first two batters he faced by striking out Jacob Castro looking followed by an inning-ending groundout to escape the jam. 
 
In the last of the seventh, Utah Valley then managed to piece together a two-out rally to extend its lead to 4-1. Marco started the spurt for the Wolverines with his third hit of the game with a two-out double to left-center. Drew Sims then followed with an infield single to put runners on first and second. With two on and two out, freshman Mick Madsen delivered the big hit of the frame with a triple over the centerfielder's head to drive home both Marco and Sims and give UVU the three-run cushion. 
 
The Anteaters then answered back with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth to make it a one-run game at 4-3. Following a one-out single from Peabody and a walk, UCI's Filia had the big hit with a two-run triple to left-center to make it a one run game. With UVU closer Jesse Schmit in, the Wolverines then cut a run down at the plate for the second out and with two runners on Schmit then drew an inning-ending groundout to keep it a 4-3 game. 
 
UC Irvine then got a one-out ninth-inning single from Koss and he later advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt to put the tying run on third with just one out in the ninth. The Anteaters then drove Koss in with a sacrifice fly to left from Brendan Brooks to tie the game at 4-4. With two outs, UCI then loaded the bases but UVU reliever Romeo Carrillo managed to come on and retire Brandon Lewis with a flyout to right to send the game to the last of the ninth tied at 4-all. 
 
After a scoreless bottom of the ninth, UC Irvine then quickly loaded the bases with nobody out in the 10th. The Anteaters then scored the go-ahead run on a UVU error and followed with 12 more, including a grand slam from Filia and a three-run homer from Brooks to blow the game open. In the 10th, four UVU pitchers combined to allow six walks and two more hit batters.
 
Despite giving up just one run on six hits while striking out five in 6.1 innings of work, UVU's Schultz took a no decision in the contest. Carrillo was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs in the 10th to drop to 0-1 on the season. UCI reliever Taylor Rashi earned the win in relief to improve to 1-0. As a whole, UVU combined to issue 19 free passes in the game with 15 walks and four hit batters. 
 
Marco led UVU offensively in the ballgame by going a perfect 4-for-4. He finished just a triple shy of the cycle and added an RBI and two runs scored. Six other Wolverines tallied a hit apiece. 
 
Filia led UCI by going 3-for-6 with a grand slam and six runs batted in. Adrian Damla and Peabody too recorded three hits apiece on the day. 
 
The Wolverines and Anteaters will conclude the series on Sunday at noon at UCCU Ballpark. UVU will then welcome neighboring rival BYU to town for a UCCU Crosstown Clash in its final game of a nine-game homestand on Tuesday, March 19 at 6 p.m.