PROVO, Utah – Utah Valley baseball defeated BYU, 15-11, on Monday night at Larry H. Miller Field in Provo. UVU (12-13) used a nine-run seventh inning to complete a comeback victory over BYU (11-11). The win is the second consecutive over BYU in the rivalry series and UVU's third straight win over an in-state power five opponent.
"That was a fun team effort. We have been finding ways to win as a unit the last week, and that's what great teams do. Now it is a time to continue to work and keep it up in WAC play this weekend," said UVU head coach
Eddie Smith.
The Cougars scored first after a leadoff double from Luke Anderson, which immediately put a runner in scoring position. He moved up on a balk by UVU starter
Jayse Burkett and scored on a ball that got past
Burke Camper to make it 1-0 BYU.
The Wolverines were patient in the second inning against BYU starter Luke Sterner. They loaded the bases with one out after walks to
Calyn Halvorson,
Joe McBride, and
Garrett Broussard set the table for
Cole Jordan, who hit a grand slam over the scoreboard in left field, to go up 4-1.
Utah Valley added two more in the third as they sent eight to the plate, starting with a single by
Luke Iverson before
Burke Camper hit their second homer of the night and the team's 50
th of the season to put the Wolverines up 6-2. The Cougars quickly rallied, scoring eight runs in the home half to take a 10-6 lead in the fourth.
Luke Kimmel set a new career-high going 1.2 innings, allowing one hit, and held the Cougars scoreless in the fourth inning. The Wolverines looked to cut into the deficit as Broussard lined a two-out double to the gap in left-center. The next hitter, Jordan, singled to center field and reached first base. BYU then tried to get him after taking a wide turn at first, but the throw got past the infielder covering the bag. Jordan was cut down, trying to move up before Broussard could score.
The Cougars added a run to go up 11-6 heading into the seventh. The Wolverine bats came alive after
Nate Bach and McBride reached when they were hit. Broussard singled into left field to bring home one and make it 11-7. UVU had two runners in scoring position after a passed ball before Jordan drew a walk to load the bases. The first clutch hit came off the bat of Schwarz, who tripled to right field and cleared the bases to make it 11-10.
The seventh inning continued with Iverson being hit by a pitch before Camper singled to tie the game at 11 when Schwarz scored from third base. Following a UVU strikeout, Bach delivered a bases-clearing double to right field. After a walk to McBride, Broussard singled for the second time in the seventh, this time to right field to make it 15-11.
The UVU bullpen efforts of
Robby Butenschoen,
Ethan Brodsky, and
Jacob Beltran held the Cougars scoreless over the final four innings in the win. Brodsky finished the game with three strikeouts over his two innings of work. Beltran worked the ninth and recorded a pair of strikeouts in the ninth.
Broussard finished 3-for-4 with two walks and three RBIs, and Jordan was 2-for-2 with four RBIs and walked four times. UVU as a team drew 12 walks in the contest, which is fifth all-time in UVU history. They were also hit six times, which is now second all-time in program history.
Utah Valley hits the road this week for a three-game series with Abilene Christian, which starts on Thursday, Mar. 28, in Abilene. When the Wolverines return from the trip, they will play a home-and-home series with Utah beginning on April 1 at Utah and April 2 in Ore
