Utah Valley The Lone Unbeaten, UTA Wins Wild Nightcap After Third Round Of 2023 University Credit Union WAC Baseball Tournament
Utah Valley The Lone Unbeaten, UTA Wins Wild Nightcap After Third Round Of 2023 University Credit Union WAC Baseball Tournament
MESA, Ariz. – No. 3 Utah Valley remained the sole survivor of the winners’ bracket after three days of play at the 2023 University Credit Union WAC Baseball Tournament. The Wolverines defeated No. 2 seed Sam Houston 10-6 earlier on Thursday at Hohokam Stadium to improve to 2-0 in the tournament.
After No. 5 Abilene Christian remained in the field by downing No. 7 UTRGV 8-2, No. 6 UT Arlington fought off elimination twice with an 11-3 victory to bounce No. 4 Seattle U and a 6-5 stunner over No. 1 seed Grand Canyon in the fourth game of the day.
The 2023 University Credit Union WAC Baseball Tournament resumes with three games on Friday. No. 2 Sam Houston and No. 5 Abilene Christian will square off in an elimination game at 1 p.m. MST, with the winner of the matchup drawing No. 1 Grand Canyon at 4 p.m. MST in another elimination round. No. 6 UT Arlington will face elimination for the third straight game in the nightcap against No. 3 Utah Valley at 7 p.m. MST on Friday. All games will air live on ESPN+.
Game 7 – No. 6 UT Arlington 11, No. 4 Seattle U 3 | Box Score
UT Arlington scored five runs over the first three innings and bashed 17 hits on the way to an 11-3 win to bounce Seattle U from the tournament field. The Redhawks managed to post 12 hits but stranded 11 men on base in the loss.
Garrison Berkley turned in a 4-for-6 effort at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored for UTA. Matt Cavanagh added three hits and three RBI, and Tyson Pointer chipped in four hits and scored two runs. Connery Peters went 5.1 innings and allowed one earned run and stuck out three Seattle U hitters in the win.
Four different Seattle U players contributed two hits to the cause. Ryne Hays and Hudson Shupe each logged multiple hits and scored a run for the Redhawks.
Game 8 – No. 5 Abilene Christian 8, No. 7 UTRGV 2 | Box Score
ACU advanced another rung in knockout play after beating UTRGV in the second elimination game of the day. The Wildcats broke a two-all tie in the top of the sixth with three runs, adding an additional run in the top of the seventh and two more in the top of the ninth to push the lead out of reach of the Vaqueros.
Maddox Miesse guided the ACU offense with a 3-for-5 showing at the plate that featured an RBI and a run scored, as Grayson Tatrow reached base three times and scored a pair of runs that included a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning. Austin Glaze went seven strong innings on the mound for the Wildcats, allowing two runs on six hits with a pair of walks and six punchouts on 96 pitches.
Brandon Pimentel drove in both UTRGV runs on a round-tripper in the bottom of the fourth to tie the contest at 2-2. Roberto Gonzalez added two hits in the setback for the Vaqueros.
Game 9 – No. 3 Utah Valley 10, No. 2 Sam Houston 6 | Box Score
Utah Valley continued its tournament momentum with a strong performance to send No. 2 seed Sam Houston to the losers’ bracket, belting 14 hits and scoring five in the first inning, two in the second inning and three in the seventh inning to put away the Bearkats. Every member of the Wolverines lineup finished the game with at least one hit, with four players tallying multi-hit outings.
Matthew Schwarz reached in all five of his official plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with solo home run and a pair of runs scored. Calyn Halvorson added a home run and three RBI for Utah Valley, and Burke Camper also went yard and scored twice in the win.
Joe Redfield finished 3-for-4 with three runs out of the leadoff spot for Sam Houston, reaching in a fourth plate appearance by way of a walk. Tyler David added two hits and drove in two runs for the Bearkats, and Clayton Chadwick posted a 3-for-3 day with an RBI.
Game 10 – No. 6 UT Arlington 6, No. 1 Grand Canyon 5 | Box Score
UTA staved off elimination by knocking off top-seeded GCU, ending the 14-game overall winning streak of the Lopes in the process. The Mavericks strung together 13 hits in the triumph to the 11 hits of GCU, leading by as many as three runs two separate times after the fourth and fifth innings.
Garrison Berkley led the way for UTA with a 3-for-5 evening, and Tyce Armstrong posted three RBI in the win. Matt Cavanagh and Tyler Rice also turned in multi-hit outings.
Tyler Wilson went a perfect 4-for-4 with a run scored to power the GCU attack, with Homer Bush Jr. reaching safely three times (two hits) and scoring a pair of runs. Zach Gregory also contributed two base knocks for the Lopes in the contest.
--WAC--