STANFORD, Calif. – Utah Valley fell in a Sunday doubleheader to Stanford University. The Cardinal (10-12) took the first game of the day, 17-10, before coming up with a 15-9 victory in the nightcap over the Wolverines (10-12). Mason Strong and Kaden Carpenter each homered in the opening game of the day, while Hunter Katschke and DJ Massey finished with two hits in the second game.
 
GAME 1
The Wolverines took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning after Carpenter worked a walk and Strong hit his third home run of the season over the left-field fence to get UVU on the board early for starting pitcher Colton Kennedy.
 
Utah Valley continued to add to its lead in the second inning, starting with a double to left-center from Chipper Beck before Jayden Smith and Massey walked to load the bases. Katschke brought in one run to make it 3-0 on a sacrifice fly before Carpenter launched a 407-foot home run to center field to clear the bases and make it 6-0 in the second inning, chasing Stanford starter Ben Reimers.
 
The timely hitting continued in the third inning as Utah Valley scored for the third consecutive inning. The Wolverines took advantage of a leadoff walk from Beck before Trenton Rowan reached on a walk. Later, with two outs and runners on the corners, it was Katschke who delivered his second and third RBIs of the game to make it 8-0.
 
Stanford's offense quickly responded in the third and fourth innings as it scored 12 runs to take a 12-8 lead into the fifth inning and added four more in the fifth. The Wolverines scored two runs in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Massey before Smith came in to score later on a wild pitch. The Cardinal bullpen was led by 4 1/3 innings of work from Brock Ketelsen, who limited the Wolverines to only two runs.
 
GAME 2
Stanford's offense jumped out to a 9-0 lead before the Wolverines scored four runs in the top of the third inning. Utah Valley loaded the bases after Smith walked, Massey beat out an infield bunt, and Katschke was hit by a pitch. The first run scored when Carpenter worked a five-pitch walk. Strong delivered the big hit of the inning with a single back up the middle that scored two runs and cut the Cardinal lead to 9-3. Beck brought in another run on a groundout to make the score 9-4.
 
Katschke continued to drive in runs in the second game when he doubled to right field on a ball that allowed Massey to sprint home from first base to cut the deficit to 9-5. The senior shortstop scored three runs for the fifth time in his career and tied the career mark.
 
Utah Valley continued to chip away against Stanford reliever Nick Dugan when Cooper Brass tripled to start the sixth inning and came around to score on a single by Trenton Rowan. The rally continued when Massey knocked the ball into right field to put two runners on base, and after a Stanford pitching change, Katschke loaded the bases on an infield single that was chopped over the pitcher's head.
 
UVU had the bases loaded when Andrew Shaw entered in relief for his second hitter, and he bounced a pitch in the dirt to allow Rowan to score. Later in the same at-bat, a second ball went to the backstop, and this time Massey and Katschke both scored to make it 14-9.
 
Massey recorded his third multi-hit game of the season during the nightcap of the doubleheader.
 
UP NEXT
The Wolverines and Cardinal will wrap up the series on Monday, March 23, with a 1:05 p.m. MT first pitch on ACC Network Extra. Utah Valley returns home next weekend for a three-game series against Cal State San Bernardino.