OREM, Utah – Utah Valley defeated Northern Colorado, 11-6, on Friday night at UCCU Ballpark in the opening game of a five-game series. The win marked the eighth straight over the Bears (1-14) in the all-time series. The 4-through-7 spots in the UVU order combined for nine of the team's 10 hits on the night. Brody Block recorded a season-high three hits, while Kaden Carpenter, Mason Strong and Chipper Beck each drove in two runs for the Wolverines (6-6) in the series opener.
 
Utah Valley jumped on the Bears early, taking a 1-0 lead after Mason Hamlin and Carpenter traded doubles before Block singled to center field to bring home Carpenter. After Block moved to second on a stolen base, Beck singled up the middle to give UVU a 3-0 advantage.
 
Northern Colorado answered back, tying the game with a run in both the second and third innings. UNC starter Reece Wagner navigated a couple of baserunners but kept the Wolverines off the board, leaving the game tied at 3-3 after three innings. 
 
UVU starter Colton Kennedy picked up a no-decision after logging five innings, allowing five hits and recording six strikeouts. With his performance, Kennedy moved past Nick Sims for seventh on Utah Valley's all-time strikeouts list. He settled in as the game progressed, forcing soft contact in the fourth inning and ending his outing with two of his final three outs via strikeout.
 
The Bears took a 6-3 lead with three runs in the sixth inning after capitalizing on a couple of Wolverine miscues.
 
In the bottom half of the inning, Strong homered to left field on the first pitch he saw from Logan Borboa to cut the lead to 6-4. Block then worked a four-pitch walk and stole second before scoring on a double by Beck to make it a one-run game.

Bradley Gilbert gave Utah Valley a chance to rally with strong work in the seventh and eighth innings. He struck out four batters over the two frames and retired the other two hitters on a foul out and a groundout to first.
 
Utah Valley completed the comeback in the eighth inning. Strong led off with a walk and Block followed with a single to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch tied the game at 6-6 before Hunter Katschke lifted a fly ball to right field to score Block and give the Wolverines a 7-6 lead. UVU added to the lead when Luke Iverson walked to load the bases, and Hamlin drew another walk to push the advantage to 8-6. Carpenter then hit a ground ball through the hole and beat the throw to first. During the play, Iverson rounded third and scored on the throw to make it 10-6. Strong capped the rally with a single up the middle to extend the lead to 11-6.
 
Maddax Peck entered in the ninth inning and recorded two strikeouts to close the door on the Bears.
 
UP NEXT
Utah Valley and Northern Colorado continue their five-game series on Saturday, Mar. 7 at 12:05 p.m. MT with a doubleheader. The games will air on ESPN+ with audio available on GoUVU.com and in the 103.9 & 98.3 ESPN The Fan App.