High-Octane Baseball Game Favors Utes, 17-16

Saturday, April 5

Orem, Utah

1:00 PM

University of Utah

12-14

Utah Valley State

6-19-1

University of Utah

Utah Valley Univ.

4/5/2008 12:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

April 5, 2008

Box Score

OREM, Utah -The University of Utah baseball team out-scroed Utah Valley 13-7 over the first five innings, but the Utes held on as the Wolverines out-scored Utah 9-4 the rest of the way. It all added up to a one-run, 17-16, non-league win for Utah here at Brent Brown Park this afternoon.

Today was a complete turnaround from Utah's performance in the first three games of this four-game series. In the first three contests with Utah Valley this week, the Utes (12-14 overall) went 1-2 and scored all of six runs. Today, the Utes exploded for 17 runs on 18 hits in tallying the one-run win over the Wolverines.

"Adjectives like good and bad, and everything in between, typified this ballgame," said head coach Bill Kinneberg. "We scored 17 runs on 18 hits, but we gave up 16 runs on 18 hits and we made some crucial mistakes. But, it was the fourth game of the series and a win on the road. I'll take it."

Six of the nine Utes in the batting order combined to post Utah's 18 hits, and all six had multi-hit games. Corey Shimada's 4-for-5, two-run effort led Utah. But, it was Cooper Blanc who did the most damage. He was 3-for-5 with five RBI. Dustin Hennis was 3-for-6 today, and he scored four times and plated two RBI.

"Dustin Hennis swung the bat real well today," pointed out Kinneberg. "I think he hit the ball hard all day long."

Among the 18 Utah hits were six hits for extra bases. The Utes saw doubles from Shimada, Cody Guymon and Austin Jones. Shimada started the game with a leadoff double, and scored on the very next play, a double by Guymon.

In addition to the three doubles, there were three homers. Hennis hit a two-out solo homer in the fifth, and Blanc hit a two-out, two-run home run, also in the fifth. Blanc also hit a two-run homer in the first inning.

The Utes came out of their corner swinging today. It scored in four of the first five innings in racing out to the 13-7 lead. But, it was a four-run seventh that propelled the Utes to victory.

With Utah clinging to a 13-9 lead after six, Utah scored four runs on three Utah Valley errors in the seventh. Tyson Mackay tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but tallied an RBI and reached safely on an error by the pitcher. The only earned run of the inning came when DC Legg singled to center field, allowing Mackay to score. Two more UV fielding errors, one on trying to catch Legg stealing and one on a Shimada hit to second, led to two more runs and the 17-9 lead.

Utah Valley tried to rally, scoring six in the eighth and one in the ninth, but it ran out of gas as Robert Chimpky got the Utes out of the game with the win.

The Wolverines threw eighth pitchers today in trying to stop the bleeding. But, it was UV's starter, Dan Christensen, who takes the loss. He allowed six runs and five hits in falling to 1-4 this season.

Bryn Card got the start for Utah, but only went 2.2 innings. Geoff Wolfgramm came on to relieve Card in the second and picks up the win in throwing for 1.1 innings. He allowed two hits and one run in upping his season total to 1-0.

Utah Valley and Utah still have one meeting left on the schedule. The two will tangle for the last time this year in Salt Lake City on April 15.

Up next, though, one more non-conference tilt is on Utah's slate before it returns to league play. The Utes play a non-league game at BYU on April 8, and then they head down to San Diego, Calif., for a three-game conference series at San Diego State starting on April 11.