ST. GEORGE, Utah—Utah Valley baseball won 17-12 on Monday evening over Utah Tech in the Old Hammer Rivalry. The Wolverines (23-22) swept the season series over the Trailblazers (10-34). Cougar Cooke finished 3-for-4 with his first career home run and a career-high five RBIs, with Daniel Dickinson matching with five RBIs.
 
"That was a nice way to finish off a road series win with a Monday midweek victory. It was great to see Colton Kennedy and Reece Rodabaugh step up and pitch some quality innings. Once the bats came alive the offense was relentless," said UVU head coach Eddie Smith.
 
UVU's Reece Rodabaugh came in relief in the bottom of the first inning, with the Wolverines trailing 1-0 and stranded the bases loaded with three consecutive strikeouts. He continued in the second to strike out the first two hitters in the second inning for a total of five punchouts in five hitters faced.
 
The Wolverines trailed 3-0 before getting on the board in the top of the fourth inning when the first six hitters reached in the inning, starting with a single by Cole Jordan before a walk to Calyn Halvorson and a single to load the bases. Luke Iverson got UVU on the board with a single to center to make it 3-1 before a walk issued to Jayden Smith brought the deficit to 3-2. Garrett Broussard tied the game on a single to left field to make it 3-3 and force a pitching change for the Trailblazers.
 
Cooke kept the fourth inning going with a bouncer that snuck into center field to plate a pair of runs to make it 5-3. The Wolverines broke the game open in the fifth inning when they loaded the bases after a pair of singles and a walk. The inning's first run scored on a sacrifice fly from Cooke to score Iverson and make it 6-4. Dickinson hit a home run over the wall into the right of center field to make it 9-4 and cap the four-run inning.
 
The Trailblazers kept chipping away and came back to make it 9-7 after a five-run home half of the fifth inning, but UVU answered right back in the sixth with a six-run inning of their own that started with a solo home run from Jordan for his 23^rd of his career. Later in the inning, Utah Valley loaded the bases, and Broussard lined a single to center field to bring home a pair of runs and make it 12-9. Cooke reached base again in the sixth to put a pair of runners for Dickinson, who doubled home two runs to bring his game total to 5 RBIs.
 
Cooke hit his first career big fly to start the eighth inning on a ball that went to left center field to make it 16-11. He brought home the team's 17^th run in the ninth inning on a single.
 
The Wolverines used five pitchers in the contest compared to Utah Tech's nine. Rodabaugh finished with 3.1 innings, allowing three hits, one earned, and added a career-high seven strikeouts. Colton Kennedy picked up his first win of the season by also going 3.1 innings and allowing three scattered hits while facing 12 hitters.
 
The Wolverines return to WAC play on Friday, May 3, at 6:05 p.m. MT against Seattle U. It marks the Redhawks' first visit to Orem since 2018. The series continues on Saturday, May 4, at 2:05 p.m. MT, with Star Wars Day before concluding on Sunday, May 5, at 12:05 p.m. MT.