SALT LAKE CITY—Craig Brinkerhoff crushed a two-run double to the left field fence with one out in the top of the eighth inning to give the Utah Valley University baseball team a 7-6 lead in a win over the Utah Utes at Smith’s Ballpark Wednesday. The Utes threatened in the bottom of the inning with runners on the corners with two outs, but Matt Davidson got Chandler Anderson to fly out to left field to get out of the inning unscathed. Davidson sent Utah down in order to close the game and seal the victory for UVU.
The Wolverines improved to 14-12 on the season, including 5-2 against Pac-12 opponents. Brinkerhoff and Jake Atkinson led UVU with a pair of RBIs each, while Greyson Bogden scored two runs on the night.
Utah jumped out on UVU early as they scored two runs with back-to-back two-out singles in the bottom of the first inning. The Wolverines answered in the fourth inning after Bogden drew a lead-off walk then stole second to get into scoring position. Ryne Edmondson poked a one-out single to left field that plated Bogden to get UVU on the board trailing 2-1. The Utes answered in the bottom of the inning with two more runs to take a 4-1 lead.
After a Spencer Gothberg RBI-single plated Bogden, Atkinson shot a two-run triple to the right center field gap to tie the game at four in the sixth inning. Utah struck again in the seventh with two runs off a pair of singles to take a 6-4 lead.
UVU battled in the top of the eighth as pinch hitter Justin Erlandson ripped a triple to left center field to plate Mark Krueger and cut the Wolverine deficit to 6-5. After Gothberg was hit by a pitch and Atkinson went down swinging, Brinkerhoff came through with a double to the left field fence, scoring Erlandson and Gothberg to give UVU a 7-6 lead and the win.
The Wolverines’ next contest comes at home against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks Friday at 6 p.m. MT in the first of a three-game series.
