OREM, Utah – Utah Valley used a season-high 15 runs on 15 hits to secure a 15-1 victory over Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday afternoon.
DJ Massey finished 3 for 3 with a home run and a career-high five RBIs while reaching base four times, and
Derek Houston went 3 for 4 with his second career home run to lead UVU (11-14) in the run-rule victory over CSUSB (15-13).
The Wolverines started the game with walks to
Hunter Katschke and
Kaden Carpenter on a combined eight pitches to immediately put a runner in scoring position. UVU then loaded the bases on a bunt single from
Mason Strong. A balk put the Wolverines up 1-0 before they extended the lead on a dropped flyball by the CSUSB left fielder that allowed a second run to score.
The lead grew in the third inning after Carpenter got the green light on a 3-0 pitch and turned on a fastball off the wall in right field. He moved to third with nobody out following the second Coyote balk of the game and scored on a sacrifice fly from
Mason Hamlin.
The Coyotes threatened for the first time against left-hander
Jacob Heppner, but yesterday's hero, Greg Luna, hit a grounder that was gloved by Heppner, who started an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play. The defense carried momentum into the offense as UVU broke through with a four-run fourth inning that started with singles from
Jayden Smith and Houston, who later moved into scoring position on a double steal.
Massey drove in two runs with a single to center field to make it 5-0, the first of his career-high five RBIs. The Wolverines added two more after Katschke doubled off the top of the extended wall in left and Carpenter drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 7-0.
UVU continued to add to its lead in the fifth with a two-out rally that started with singles by Smith and Houston before Massey hit his first home run of the season to left-center field, making it 10-0.
Heppner (1-0) went six innings, one shy of his career high of seven, which he matched for the second time last week at Stanford. He allowed one run with one strikeout, inducing mostly soft contact.
The Wolverines pushed the game into run-rule territory with a five-run sixth inning, sending all nine hitters to the plate. RBI singles from Block, who lined a shot to first base, and
Chipper Beck, who singled to left field, made it 12-1. Houston capped the scoring at 15-1 with a home run to right-center field, the second homer of the day from the bottom of the order.
Jordan Chancellor made his second career appearance in the seventh, recording a pair of flyouts and a groundout to end the game.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley and Cal State San Bernardino wrap up the series Sunday with a 12:05 p.m. MT start. The game will air on ESPN+ and on 103.9 and 98.3 ESPN The Fan.
