Box Score MESA, Ariz. – Utah Valley advanced to Saturday's WAC Tournament Championship Game after a 16-0 shutout of UT Arlington. UVU (34-22) scored early and often jumping out a 14-0 after three innings.
Nate Bach finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs, and
Logan Gerling threw a six-hit, complete game to secure the win over UTA (29-29). A total of five Wolverines had multi-RBI games in the offensive explosion.
"That was a great performance from Gerling. He gave the effort our team really needed today, and it was awesome to see him come out and put the team on his back," said UVU head coach
Eddie Smith.
Utah Valley scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Cole Jordan singled as the second hitter of the inning before
Burke Camper drew a two-out walk to put two runners on base for
Calyn Halvorson, who lined a double to left field to make it 2-0. UVU went up 3-0 on a first and third steal, where Halvorson was initially called out before it was reversed on replay review.
Utah Valley kept the pressure in the second when they scored eight runs, all coming with two outs in the inning. Jordan doubled home Dickinson to get the first run across after a walk to
Patrick Mills. Camper singled home a run with a single through the left side to go up 6-0. The Wolverines got two-run singles from
Garrett Broussard, and
Nate Bach cleared the bases on a double to left center to go up 11-0.
The Wolverines piled on in the third, scoring three more with an RBI single from Camper before
Brandon Luna added a double to right field to make it 14-0.
Building off the offensive output, UVU starter Gerling recorded a shutdown inning on his way to a complete game. He finished the shutout, only allowing six hits, and struck out two hitters on 99 pitches. It is the first seven-inning complete game since
Mason Gray in 2021 against NM State.
Utah Valley will play tomorrow against Sam Houston at 4:00 p.m. MT in the WAC Tournament Championship. If the Wolverines lose, the two teams will play about 40 minutes later in a winner take all game. A UVU victory will clinch the WAC automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It would be the second title for UVU and the first since 2016.
