OREM, Utah – Daniel Dickinson hit three home runs in an 8-3 victory for Utah Valley over Stephen F. Austin on Sunday afternoon at UCCU Ballpark. UVU (25-21, 11-11) used a season-high five home runs in the win.
Casey Anderson went 7.0 innings while striking out nine SFA (21-15, 12-15) hitters and scattering five hits.
"It was a great team effort today. Danny Dickinson,
Brandon Luna, and
Casey Anderson set the tone, and there were a lot of others that contributed as supporting cast," said UVU head coach
Eddie Smith.
The Wolverines scored on the first pitch they saw when Dickinson hit his first homer of the day to go up 1-0.
Trey Cutchen was hit by a pitch to start the second inning and scored on a ground ball that rolled deep into the right-center field gap, allowing Broussard to hustle into second base. As UVU led 2-0,
Brandon Luna hit his first of two long balls on the day with a shot over the right field fence to make it 4-0. The Wolverines went back-to-back for the first time this year on Dickinson's second homer of the day and put Utah Valley in front 5-0.
Anderson held the Lumberjacks hitless for the first three innings before the Jacks loaded the bases in the fourth. He was able to work around the situation on two strikeouts and a fielder's choice that scored his only allowed run.
The Wolverines did not waste long answering as Luna collected the second of his four hits with a single and scored on Dickinson's third round tripper with a shot to straightaway center field and gave UVU a comfortable 7-1 lead. He is the first player to hit three homers in a game since Kirk Doxey in 2009 at Air Force.
SFA scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth before Luna hit his second homer of the game to make it 8-3 Utah Valley.
Devin Smith pitched the final inning, recording a pair of strikeouts.
Utah Valley stays home next weekend for a three-game series against New Mexico State that begins on Friday, May 12, with a 6:05 p.m. MT start. The series continues Saturday, May 13, at 2:05 p.m. MT and wraps up on Sunday, May 14, at 12:05 p.m. MT.
