SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Valley University and the University of Utah combined to slug-out 26 hits and score 19 runs on the night, but in the end the Utes managed to overcome an early deficit en route to pulling out a 10-9 come-from-behind victory over UVU on Wednesday night at Smith's Ballpark.
 
Despite dropping the midweek in-state rivalry game to the Utes (14-26), sophomore outfielder Jake Plecas homered for the third time in UVU's last four games and drove in a total of five runs on the night to lead the way for the Wolverines (9-39). Mick Madsen also had a big outing by going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, a double and a run scored. Matt Richardson paced Utah by going 2-for-4 with a pair of extra-base hits and three RBIs.  
 
Scoreless in the second, Plecas helped UVU jump out to an early 3-0 lead by belting out his third home run over the past four games with a three-run bomb to left-center. After Brandon Luna walked and Drew Sims singled to put two on with one away in the second, Plecas delivered the big hit of the inning with the three-run shot to give the Wolverines the early three-run cushion.
 
The Utes got a run back in the bottom of the second thanks to a two-out RBI hit from Chase Fernlund to make it 3-1. UVU struck right back, however, with three more runs in the third to extend its lead to 6-1. With the bases loaded following singles from Kade Poulsen and Luna as well as Sims reaching on a walk, Plecas delivered another big hit with a two-run single to right to make it 5-1 and give him all five RBIs at the time. After a pitching change, Madsen then followed with an RBI single of his own to drive home Sims and extend UVU's early advantage to 6-1.  
 
Utah later got a run back in the bottom of the third and four more in the fourth to tie the game at 6-6. After a run came home on a balk call in the third, Richardson started the scoring for the Utes in the fourth with a two-run double. Jayden Kiernan and Kai Roberts later followed with a pair of RBI doubles to tie the game at 6-all. With two on and Utah threatening for more, UVU's Bobby Voortmeyer came on and managed to strikeout Utah's Trey Clarkson to send it to the fifth. 
 
UVU then got a pair of back-to-back two-out doubles from Madsen and Tavyn Lords to regain a 9-6 lead in the fifth. With Luna and Sims on the base paths, Madsen dropped in a two-run double to left that got by Utah's leftfielder to drive both runners home and make it 8-6. Lords then immediately followed with an RBI double to left to bring home Madsen and make it 9-6. 
 
The Utes then countered back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth to pull within a run at 9-8. Richardson and Jaylon McLaughlin had the RBI hits in the frame for Utah. The Utes then again tied it in the sixth via a sacrifice fly from Shea Kramer to deadlock the score at 9-9. 
 
With two on and one out in the seventh, Utah then took the lead on a go-ahead RBI single up the middle from Roberts to give the Utes their first lead of the game at 10-9. UVU reliever Dylan Cook later came on and helped limit the damage in the frame by striking the first batter he faced to strand runners on second and third and keep it a one-run game. 
 
Lords singled with one away for the Wolverines in the eighth and later stole second to move into scoring position. But Utah's Ian MacIver responded by retiring the next two batters he faced to strand Lords on second base. Utah's Dustyn Schramm then retired the Wolverines in order in the ninth to preserve the win for the Utes.
 
MacIver pitched 3.0 innings of solid relief for Utah to earn the win and improve to 1-1, while Schramm earned his first save of the season after tossing the scoreless ninth. UVU's Carson Brown was tagged with the loss to drop to 0-2 on the year.  
 
Four Wolverines finished with multiple-hit performances on the night. Behind Madsen's 3-for-4 showing, Plecas went 2-for-4, Lords 2-for-4 and Luna 2-for-4. 
 
The contest marked UVU's final game to be contested in the state of Utah on the season.
 
The Wolverines will now hit the road for a three-game non-conference series at the New Mexico Lobos this weekend. The series will run Friday to Sunday in Albuquerque. Following the series, UVU will head to Seattle to face Seattle U in the final four-game WAC series of the season next weekend (May 20-22).