OREM — The UVU baseball team collected 16 hits in an 8-4 win over the University of San Francisco in a mid-week contest on Wednesday even at Evans Diamond on the University of California at Berkeley.
With the win, UVU improves to 3-2 on the season and recorded their highest hit total of the season so far with 16.
Designated hitter Stone Ramsey had four of the 16 hits, while senior shortstop Greyson Bogden and catcher Zac Willis each had three hits apiece including a solo home run for Bogden in the top of the ninth inning. Bogden and Willis each had two RBIs on the night.
“That was a very good win,” UVU head coach Eric Madsen said in a statement to UVU Athletics. “San Francisco was a hungry team and for us to get down early and come back and get key hits and at-bats and get the work we did from the bullpen was great. It was another team win for us and it’s great to see early on.”
Trailing 3-0 in the top of the third, UVU finally got on the board on a bases-loaded walk by first baseman Jeff Arens that scored Jordan Schlehuber. Willis followed that up with a single up the middle to score Craig Brinkerhoff to make it 3-2.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Wolverines took the lead as Willis reached on a fielder’s choice to second base that scored Mark Krueger to tie it up and Paul Estrada followed that up with a single to left field that drove in Ramsey to make it 4-3.
The Dons tacked on a run in the bottom of the sixth on a Ryan Matranga single that scored Brady Bate but from there it was all Wolverines.
UVU scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning on back-to-back doubles by Estrada and Ryne Edmondson and a single by Bogden that scored Edmondson to make it 7-4. And in the top of the ninth, Bogden put the finishing touches on the win with a solo shot to left field for the final tally.
Six UVU pitches combined to hold the Dons to seven hits and three runs. The Wolverine pitchers also struck out nine while only walking three batters. Junior transfer Greg McCuch picked up his first win as a Wolverine in 2.0 innings of work.
The Wolverines have a short trip to Santa Clara where they will play in the Jack Gifford Memorial Tournament. UVU will face host Santa Clara on Friday at 7 p.m. MT. On Saturday, they will face UC Davis at 2 p.m. MT and on Sunday they have a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. MT against Saint Joseph’s. In the second game of the doubleheader they will face UC Davis for the second time with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. MT.
