GREELEY, Colo. – Utah Valley got three home runs on the day along with a four-RBI performance from freshman Tavyn Lords en route hanging on to pull out a 7-6 victory over Northern Colorado in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at Jackson Field to split the four-game conference series. 
 
UVU got solo home runs from Mitch Moralez, Alexander Marco and Jeff Arens, as well as the four-RBI performance from Lords to give the Wolverines a 7-6 lead in the ninth. UNC then made things interesting by getting what represented the tying run and the winning run aboard with nobody out in the last of the ninth. But closer Spenser Triplett came on and the UVU defense managed to turn a huge 3-5-4 double play on a bunt for the first two outs in the frame. With what would be the tying runner now leading from second base, Triplett then drew a game-ending flyout off the bat of pinch-hitter Johnny Graham to earn his second save in as many days and end the ballgame. 
 
Utah Valley improves to 4-16 on the season and 2-6 in WAC play with the series split, while UNC drops to 6-17 overall and 2-10 in league play with the setback. 
 
Following a first-inning solo home run from the WAC leader in UNC's Jake Gitter, UVU countered right back in the second with a bases-clearing single off the wall in center from freshman Tavyn Lords to take a 3-1 lead. Following walks from Drew Sims, Pacen Hayes and Mick Madsen, Lords delivered the big hit in the frame with a clutch two-out single off the wall in center to drive home all three and give Utah Valley the lead.
 
Northern Colorado didn't waste any time answering back, however, as it managed to piece together a two-run rally in the bottom of the third to tie the contest at 3-3. Hayden Heinze and Sam Leach each posted RBI singles in the inning. With the bases loaded later in the frame, UVU starter Mason Gray managed to limit the damage by leaving the bases full by striking out Ben McKay to end the inning.


The Utah Valley offense continued to produce, as Moralez and Marco smacked out back-to-back solo home runs in the top of the third to give UVU a 5-3 lead. UVU later extended their lead to 6-3, as the freshman Lords drove in his fourth run of the game with an RBI single in the fourth. Following a lead-off single from Madsen and after he moved into scoring position on an error, Lords connected on an RBI single to center to give the Wolverines a three-run cushion.
 
The Bears then got a run back in the fifth thanks to an RBI single from Garrett Fisher to make it 6-4, but back responded UVU in the seventh with a big insurance run thanks to a solo home run from Jeff Arens to make it a 7-4 score. Arens blasted out the solo shot with two away to deep left center in the frame. 
 
UNC then loaded the bases with two away in the last of the seventh and got a two-run single from Heinze to make it 7-6. On the play, Heinze tried to stretch the single into a double and was mowed down heading into second to strand a runner on third and end the threat and preserve the lead for the Wolverines.
 
Northern Colorado got the leadoff man aboard in the eighth, but UVU freshman reliever Carson Brown came on and struck out Leach and then drew an inning-ending double play ball of the bat of Josh Glenn to send the contest to the ninth. The Bears then got the first two batters aboard in the ninth via back-to-back walks, but the senior Triplett came on and managed to escape the jam thanks to some stellar defense behind him to earn the save.
 
The sophomore right-hander Gray (1-3) went 5.0 innings en route to earning his first win of the year after surrendering just three earned runs on seven hits. He also tied a career-high with nine strikeouts in the contest. Brown then later worked a scoreless inning of relief while Triplett earned his third save of the season after pitching the scoreless ninth. UNC's Ashton Mansur was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs to drop to 0-2 on the season. 
 
The freshman Lords led UVU offensively with a career day by going 2-for-5 with four RBIs. Moralez, Marco, Arens, and Madsen also added two-hit outings on the day for the Wolverines. Heinze and Gitter led UNC by each going 3-for-5 in the contest. 
 
The Wolverines will now return home and will welcome Grand Canyon to town for a four-game WAC series at UCCU Ballpark this weekend. The series will run Thursday to Saturday, April 1-3, and will get underway with game one on Thursday at 6 p.m. at dōTERRA Field.