OREM, Utah—The Utah Valley University baseball team evened the series against the Minnesota Golden Gophers with a 3-2 win Saturday at Brent Brown Ballpark. Starting pitcher Danny Beddes threw 8.2 innings and allowed two runs on eight hits with six strikeouts, no walks, and one hit batter. Shortstop Greyson Bogden extended his hitting streak to six games, while Willis’ extended to four.
“I felt like I had all of my pitches today, which is always a good thing,” Beddes said. “It helps me to get in the mindset that I can throw anything at anytime, and that I can challenge anybody at anytime.”
The Wolverines got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning when Spencer Gothberg was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring catcher Zac Willis. The next two UVU hitters struck out to leave the bases loaded.
Right fielder Ryne Edmondson led off the bottom of the second inning with a single to left, then advanced to second base on a fielder’s choice. Willis gave the Wolverines a 3-0 lead with a towering two-out two-run home run to left field. That was the end of the scoring for the Wolverines.
Beddes got into a little bit of trouble in the top of the fourth inning after a scary moment when UM first baseman Austin Athmann was hit in the head. Third baseman Micah Coffey then singled to left to load the bases, and left fielder Jordan Smith hit a two-out single to left to plate shortstop Terrin Vavra. UVU got out of the jam after Beddes flashed some leather and snagged a comebacker for the third out.
Through three of the next four innings, Beddes calmed down and faced the minimum number of hitters and struck out three. He returned in the top of the ninth inning looking for his first complete game of the season, but ran into more trouble when first baseman Connor Schaefbauer hit a two-out double off the right field fence and second baseman Luke Pettersen scored from first.
Kyle Valgardson needed just three pitches to retire catcher Matt Stemper, who lined out to Bogden at shortstop to end the game.
“I thought Danny Beddes pitched extremely well,” UVU coach Eric Madsen said. “He won that game for us. We found a way to muster up a few runs, but realistically we scored in the first two innings, and then Danny took over the game.”
The final game of the series is scheduled for Sunday at noon at Brent Brown Ballpark.
