PROVO — Utah Valley center fielder Justin Erlandson came into Tuesday nights contest against BYU with just one home run on the season. But the second home run for the junior from Bend, Ore. couldn’t have come at a better time. With the game tied at five in the top of the 11th inning, Erlandson led off with a solo home run over the left field fence and helped UVU knock off 26th-ranked BYU in 11 innings at Larry H. Miller Field.
Erlandson not only hit a go-ahead home run but he also scored the tying run in the top of the ninth. With BYU closer Mason Marshall on the mound, Erlandson drove the first pitch into left field. He stole second and scored on a Zac Willis ground ball to BYU shortstop Hayden Nielsen to tie the game.
“He (Erlandson) played really really well,” UVU head coach Eric Madsen said. “He’s been working extremely hard and has put in a ton of work so I’m really happy for him.”
Erlandson was also a key piece of the UVU defense that made some key plays, especially in extra innings. The biggest play of the night came with one out in the bottom of the 11th when BYU had runners at the corners. All-American Colton Shaver hit a little flare over second base that looked like it would drop. However, UVU second baseman Trevor Howell had a different idea. Howell made an amazing over-the-shoulder catch for the second out of the inning. Brennon Lund scored on the play to cut the deficit to one but Jake Mayer got Eric Urry to hit a soft pop up right back to him to seal the win.
“Defense is something our guys take a lot of pride in, and really, how much better can you play defensively,” Madsen said. “There were several balls that looked like hits off the bat. Mark (Krueger) made a couple of great plays and Justin ran down some fly balls too, and Trevor’s play was pretty unbelievable.”
Trailing 4-2 after six complete, UVU began its comeback. With bases loaded and nobody out, UVU managed to score one run off a Jordan Schlehuber RBI groundout to cut the deficit to 4-3. BYU scored one run in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI double by Keaton Kringlen but Kringlen was thrown out trying to stretch the double into a triple.
UVU scored another run in the top of the eighth inning when Greyson Bogden scored on a Craig Brinkerhoff double to left center, getting the Wolverines back within one run at 5-4. Logan Hold came on to pitch for UVU in the bottom of the eighth and despite giving up two hits, was able to keep BYU off the board and give the Wolverines a chance.
In the ninth, Erlandson led off with a single to left, his second hit of the night, and then quickly stole second to get into scoring position. Three batters later, Erlandson scored the tying run when BYU couldn’t turn a double play on the ground ball by Willis.
Jake Mayer came on in the ninth and got three Cougars to ground out and send the game into extras.
Neither team was able to manufacture any offense in the 10th inning.
But Erlandson made sure that didn’t happen in the 10th. He drove a 1-0 pitch from Marshall over the 345 sign down the left field line to give UVU the lead. UVU added the necessary insurance run on the Willis single to center that scored Schlehuber to make it 7-5.
BYU got one run back when Lund scored on the sacrifice fly by Shaver but Mayer did his job and picked up his sixth win of the season with the Urry pop up to end the game.
UVU pounded out 13 hits in the win and it was the third straight game the Wolverines have recorded double-digit hits. Howell and Erlandson both had three hits each and Zac Willis had two hits with three RBIs.
“I think guys are working and I’m real pleased with what they’re doing,” Madsen said. “That’s a good club. I know that they throw all their pitchers at us…but that’s a good job of hitting. They’ve (BYU) been able to hold teams down and I thought for us to swing the bats like we did, I think we’re moving in the right direction.
UVU will travel to Sacramento for a three-game series with Sacramento State beginning on Friday afternoon. The Hornets lead the Wolverines by one game in the WAC standings and with New Mexico State playing Seattle this weekend, there is a chance this series could be for second place in the WAC standings as only two games separate second from fourth.
