OREM, Utah – The University of Utah pounded out 20 hits and scored 14 runs en route to defeating Utah Valley 14-1 in a midweek non-conference contest on Tuesday night at UCCU Ballpark.  
 
The Pac-12 Utes improve to 9-21 on year with the win while UVU falls to 7-27 with the setback. 
 
The Utes struck first with a trio of first-inning runs to take an early 3-0 lead. With two on and one out, Trey Clarkson drove them both home with a double down the rightfield line to make it 2-0. Brock Rudy later drove in Clarkson with an RBI single up the middle for Utah's third run.
 
Still 3-0 in the fourth, the Utes then tacked on four more runs to extend their lead to 7-0. After an RBI single from Jaylon McLaughlin, Clarkson then snuck out an opposite field three-run home run down the leftfield line to give Utah the big lead. 
 
The Utes then put the game out of reach in the fifth with three more runs in the top of the inning. Matt Richardson had the big hit in the frame with a two-run homer to left center. 
 
Trailing 13-0 in the eighth, UVU got on the board when Andrew Hacker came in to score on a wild pitch. Hacker led off the frame with a single to left. He later moved to third on a single from Pacen Hayes and then came in to score on the wild toss from Utah's Owen Mortensen. 
 
The Wolverines tallied just six hits in the in-state contest and were led by a 2-for-4 outing from Hayes. Hacker, Kade Poulsen, Jeff Arens and Tavyn Lords also recorded hits on the day for UVU and Lords led the group by going 1-for-1 with a triple and two walks. Clarkson drove in five runs on the evening to lead the way for Utah, while McLaughlin went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. 
 
Utah starter Ben Kibbe (1-0) was credited with the win on mound after tossing four scoreless innings and surrendering just two hits. Three other Ute pitchers tossed scoreless appearances on the evening. Left-hander Tevin Hall was tagged with the loss for UVU in his first start in a Utah Valley uniform to drop to 0-1 on the season. 
 
A total of eight different pitchers and 17 position players appeared in the ballgame for the Wolverines. 
 
The contest caps a five-game homestand and marked the first of two season meetings between UVU and Utah. The Wolverines will later make the return trip to Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, May 12. 
 
The Wolverines will now hit the road for the next two weeks. UVU will first open the trip with a four-game WAC series at California Baptist this Friday to Sunday (April 23-25) in Riverside, California. The Wolverines will next head to St. George to renew their rivalry with former Junior College rival Dixie State in the first installment of the Old Hammer Rivalry the following weekend (April 30-May 2).