OREM, Utah – Utah Valley baseball dropped a slugfest to Abilene Christian, 18-14, on Saturday afternoon at UCCU Ballpark. UVU (17-10, 3-2) tagged Preseason WAC Pitcher of the Year Brett Lanman for six runs in the first two innings, with Luke Iverson homering in his fourth consecutive game, but ACU (17-11) rallied late to even the series. Grant Watkins finished 4-for-5 with two homers, two doubles, and six RBIs.
 
The Wolverines exploded for four runs in the first inning, starting with Iverson extending his hitting streak to 14 games with a triple. It didn't take long for them to get on the board with Jayden Smith hitting a chopper that got past Ben Greer at second. UVU had two runners on base later when Nate Bach launched his 22^nd career home run to put him in solo possession of eighth all-time.
 
Following the big inning, Utah Valley starter Colton Kennedy recorded his second three-up and three-down inning to get the Wolverine bats back to the plate. They did not waste much time extending their lead after DJ Massey singled, stole second base, and Smith walked to put two runners on base for Dominic Longo II, who doubled to center field for his 31^st and 32^nd RBI of the season.
 
Kennedy did not allow a hit until the third inning when he allowed a single to Holden Rook, and ACU was held scoreless until the fourth inning when they got on the board with a pair of homers. He finished with 5 2/3 innings pitched with three strikeouts and did not factor in the decision.
 
The Wildcats took their first lead after scoring six runs in the sixth inning, but the Wolverines answered right back in the home half of the inning. Trailing 9-6, UVU loaded the bases after singles from Jimmy De Anda, Joseph Barnhardt, and Massey. Iverson then launched his team-high tenth homer for a grand slam, helping Utah Valley reclaim a 10-9 lead. They added a run later in the inning when Longo II reached on a throwing error that allowed Smith to hustle home from first, but Longo II was called out sliding into third base.
 
The Wolverines were clinging to an 11-9 lead in the seventh inning when ACU put the tying runners on base before Garrett Miller entered the game and first recorded a groundout and an inning-ending strikeout to hold the lead. UVU looked to add some insurance runs, loading the bases after Landon Frei reached for the 26^th consecutive game, with Bach drawing a walk and De Anda being hit. The Wildcats came up with a double play and a foul out to keep the game close at 11-9.
 
Abilene Christian narrowed the UVU lead to 11-10 when Watkins doubled down the left field line on a ball that landed just fair. The Wildcats loaded the bases with Jacob Beltran on the mound, but he got Sam Hardcastle to fly out to end the threat.
 
The Wolverines needed some insurance runs after Iverson walked and Smith reached on a fielder's choice with the shortstop's foot not being on the bag. UVU loaded the bases after Strong was intentionally walked, and they made the game 13-10 with walks issued to Frei and Bach. De Anda capped the scoring for UVU with a sacrifice fly and put them up 14-10 heading to the ninth.
 
The Wildcats' bats came alive in the ninth inning, scoring eight runs on seven hits to even the series with an 18-14 win.
 
UP NEXT
The Wolverines and Wildcats will play the rubber match of the three-game series on Sunday, Mar. 30, with a 12:05 p.m. MT first pitch. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and an audio-only stream on GoUVU.com.