After a 6.5 hour weather delay, UVU finally took the field for their first NCAA Regional contest in program history Friday night, a 7-1 loss to No. 8 national seed LSU. While the Wolverines struggled to get any offense going the Tigers scored early and often.
Danny Beddes got the start for UVU, but struggled to find the strike zone, particularly to start his innings. Beddes walked the lead off batter in both the first and second innings resulting in runs in both instances. In the first, Jake Fraley ripped off a two-run homer that nearly left the park. In the second, Cole Freeman hit an RBI single. Beddes lasted only three innings before giving way to the bullpen, ending with four hits, four earned runs, four batters walked and three strikeouts.
Three different UVU pitchers combined to finish the game. Jake Mayer pitched three complete innings, ending with four hits, one earned run, and one batter walked. Evan Fresquez pitched one inning and was taken deep by Greg Deichmann for LSU’s second two-run homer of the night. Marco Briones pitched the final inning for UVU, giving up two hits and walking one batter.
On the other side, LSU starter Jared Poche got the win and had a solid outing, pitching six complete innings with five hits, one earned run, and tying a career high with eight strikeouts. Three LSU relievers combined to finish the game.
The Wolverines’ only run of the night came in the top of the second inning, when Justin Erlandson had an RBI double. UVU totaled six hits on the night but left six runners on base, batting only 2-12 with runners on.
UVU will be back in action Saturday when they take on the loser of the morning game between SE Louisiana and Rice, who’s game was postponed due to the weather delay. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. but with more inclement weather expected, another delay isn’t out of the question.
