BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Utah Valley defeated Cal State Bakersfield 5-4 on Friday night at Hardt Field behind a clutch performance from Hunter Katschke. Katschke led Utah Valley (15-14), going 2 for 4 with a three-run homer in the fifth inning, extending his RBI streak to 11 consecutive games. The Wolverines also made several timely defensive plays to secure the series win over CSU Bakersfield (12-18).

George Albrecht got the start for Utah Valley and pitched a career-high 3 2/3 innings, marking his second consecutive outing with a new personal best in innings pitched.
 
Jimmy De Anda recorded the game's first hit to lead off the top of the third inning. He was initially caught trying to advance, but a throw from first base sailed into left field, allowing him to reach third. Utah Valley took a 1-0 lead two batters later when Kaden Carpenter hit an infield single.
 
The Wolverines extended their lead in the fifth inning. De Anda drew a walk, and Utah Valley capitalized on a second CSU Bakersfield error when DJ Massey's bunt led to an errant throw at first, moving both runners into scoring position. Katschke then jumped on a 1-0 pitch and sent it over the center-field wall to make it 4-1.
 
Jacob Beltran (1-1) earned the win after recording one out in relief. He was followed by Cooper Littledike, who kept Utah Valley in front as CSU Bakersfield threatened in the sixth inning with the tying run in scoring position. Littledike recorded one of his three strikeouts before a flyout ended the inning.
 
Utah Valley added an insurance run in the seventh. Massey was hit by a pitch and Katschke doubled down the left-field line to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. After a strikeout, Mason Strong drove in a run with a deep fly ball to score Massey and extend the lead to 5-2.
 
Utah Valley's defense came through late. Jayden Smith made a diving catch on a sinking liner to rob Elijah Pelayo of a game-tying hit and end the eighth inning and keep the game at 5-4.
 
 In the ninth, with a runner on first and one out, Derek Houston threw out a runner attempting to advance on a ball in the dirt, leading to Maddax Peck ending the game with a strikeout to earn his second save of the season after tossing two innings. 
 
UP NEXT
UVU will go for its first sweep of the season on Saturday as the teams conclude the series Saturday at 2 p.m. MT (1 p.m. PT). There is no broadcast planned, but fans can follow along with live stats on Gorunners.com. Utah Valley returns home Tuesday, April 7, to host BYU, with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. MT.