BOISE, Idaho — Rien Milliken homered and drove in five runs as Utah Valley University completed a doubleheader sweep at Boise State with a 9-4 win in game two on Monday afternoon at Dona Larsen Park. Milliken also homered in the first game of the day, a 4-2 UVU (19-21) win in which
Jaeden Barajas delivered a two-run, pinch-hit home run with two outs in the seventh to break a 2-2 tie.
Devyn Cretz had another big day in the circle. She came on in relief in both contests and was the winning pitcher in both games. She pitched 6.2 scoreless innings combined during the twin bill, 3.2 in game one and 3.0 in game two. She struck out two in each appearance and allowed just four hits overall.
In the night cap, the Broncos (16-16) scored three runs in the bottom of the first with two coming on a Jordyn Hutchins double to take an early lead, but UVU responded with four in the third.
Karleigh Olsen,
Emery Nielson and
Linnah Rebolledo all singled to load the bases with nobody out.
Basia Query nearly left the yard on a ball to deep left that went as a sacrifice fly and an RBI to get UVU on the board. Milliken followed her with the three-run shot to right-center, scoring Nielson and Rebolledo and giving the Wolverines a 4-3 lead. Milliken leads Utah Valley with eight home runs on the season.
Boise State tied the game with a run in the bottom of the third, but Utah Valley regained the lead with two more in the fourth. With Olsen at first and one out, Nielson hit the ball back to the pitcher, but the throw was wide of first and went all the way into the corner down the right-field line, allowing both runners to score.
The Wolverines added three more to pull away in the sixth. With one run already in on an RBI by Rebolledo, Milliken picked up her third hit of the game, a two-run single to make it 9-4.
In game one,
Katie Zuniga started and pitched four-plus innings and gave way to Cretz with two on and nobody out in the fifth and the game tied 2-2. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third with one down, Cretz struck out the next two hitters to end the threat.
After Barajas' heroics, the Broncos got the leadoff hitter on following an infield hit from Abby Bumcrot. Olsen erased her though when the following batter, Kelsey Lacor, lined to her at third and she doubled up Bumcrot. Cretz then got Ashlyn Adams to ground out to first to end it.
The Wolverines next face Utah State on Wednesday at 4 p.m. MT in Orem and will have the weekend off before hosting BYU next Tuesday, at 5 p.m. MT.
