OREM, Utah – Utah Valley broke a 4-4 fifth-inning tie with two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to go to defeat Tarleton, 8-4, on Sunday afternoon at UCCU Ballpark to salvage a game from the weekend series. 
 
Trey Newman and Mick Madsen led UVU offensively by recording three hits apiece, while Mason Gray was solid on the mound to earn the win, and Dylan Cook came on to earn a four-inning save. In all, the Wolverine offense pounded out a total of 15 hits on the afternoon, as five hitters finished with multiple-hit outings.
 
UVU improves to 7-26 overall and 5-15 in WAC play with the victory, while Tarleton drops to 15-24 and 8-12 in league play with the loss. 
 
"We have really good players on this team and I'm proud of them for going out and finding a way to win," head UVU coach Eric Madsen said. "It's nice that we were able to get the victory, and like I said, I credit our players for going out and getting the job done today."
 
The Texans struck first in the ballgame with a trio of runs in the top of the first to jump out to a 3-0 lead. After loading the bases with one away, Wade Raburn drove in a pair of runs with a two-run single up the middle. Blake Burns later came in to score following a pair of UVU defensive miscues for an unearned run to make it 3-0.
 
The Wolverines then answered back in the second with three runs of their own to tie the contest at 3-3. Newman led off the frame with a double to right and Mick Madsen promptly followed with a single to put two on with nobody out. Later with both in scoring position and two outs in the frame, the second-year freshman Ty Mead then picked up his first collegiate RBI with an infield single to third to drive home Newman. Garrett Broussard then followed by delivering a two-run triple to left center to deadlock the score at 3-all.
 
UVU then took a 4-3 advantage in the fourth as Mead came home on a wild pitch to give the Wolverines the lead. Mead was hit by a pitch, stole second and later moved over to third on a groundball on the right side. With one out and runners on the corners, he then came home via the wild pitch. 
 
Tarleton then tied it in the fifth on a solo homer from Bryan Aguilar to knot up the score briefly at 4-4. The Texans later got what would be the go-ahead run in scoring position with no outs in the frame, but UVU starter Mason Gray responded by retiring the next three batters he faced—two via the strikeout—to strand the runners. 
 
Following a pair of quick singles from Kade Poulsen and Newman to start the last of the fifth, Madsen then dropped down a great bunt on the right side that he managed to beat out for an infield single to load the bases with no outs. Mitch Moralez then plated the go-ahead run via a fielder's choice and Tavyn Lords followed with an RBI single to right to make it 6-4 Wolverines in the fifth. 
 
Then in the sixth, UVU added two more runs to extend the lead to 8-4. Newman started the two-out sixth-inning rally with a two-out double. Madsen then drove him in with an RBI single to right to make it 7-4. Moralez then followed with a single up the middle that got under the glove of Tarleton's centerfielder which allowed Madsen to come around and score all the way from first to extend UVU's advantage to 8-4. 
 
Newman led UVU offensively in the game by going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk and three runs scored, while Madsen went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Broussard, Moralez and Mead all added two-hits apiece on the day and Broussard fronted the group with a triple and two runs batted in. Aguilar led the Texans by going 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
 
Gray surrendered just three earned runs on five hits while striking out five over 5.0 innings of work to improve to 2-4 on the year. Cook then came on in the sixth and tossed a four scoreless innings of relief to earn his first career save. The southpaw Cook allowed gave up just three hits while striking out one and walking just one. Tarleton reliever Hunter Thomas was tagged with the loss to drop to 0-4 on the year.
 
"I thought that both Gray and Cook pitched well for us," Madsen added. "We didn't help Gray out much in the early stages defensively, but I was proud of the way that both he and Cook performed for us on the mound."
 
Despite the victory, Tarleton claimed the WAC weekend series three games to one after winning the first three contests.
 
The Wolverines will close a current five-game homestand by welcoming in-state foe Utah to town for a midweek contest on Tuesday evening (April 20) at 6 p.m. at UCCU Ballpark. Following the game, UVU will hit the road for a WAC series at second-place California Baptist Friday to Sunday (April 23-25) in Riverside, California.