Photo Credit: Gabi Campbell
Four runs in the first three innings were enough for Utah Valley starter Devin Nelson to tame host BYU in an 8-3 Wolverine victory to give UVU its third straight win.
Nelson, a senior, went 8.1 innings and limited the Cougars to three runs on 10 hits, striking out three on 121 pitches.
Sophomores Mark Krueger and Craig Brinkerhoff provided the majority of the offensive production as each drove in three runs.
Krueger got things going with a sacrifice fly in the first that sophomore Seth Rhineer.
BYU notted the game at 1-1 in the bottom half of the inning, before Brinkerhoff blasted a solo shot over the leftfield scoreboard.
In the top of the third, Krueger doubled the Wolverines’ advantage to 4-1 on a two-run double that scored sophomore Greyson Bogden and senior Sean Moysh.
Nelson would surrender one more run in the bottom of the third before holding the Cougars scoreless over the next five frames.
Senior Riley White added a two-out RBI in the fifth, and Brinkerhoff’s ninth-inning double brought home sophomore Beau Kallas and Krueger.
Sophomore Cam Zollinger capped the UVU scoring with a sac-fly to make it 8-2, putting the game well out of reach.
BYU cut the lead to five in the ninth, but freshman Patrick Wolfe came on in relief of Nelson to close the win, which was the Wolverines’ second-ever in Provo.
UVU is now 7-16 all-time versus the in-state foe.
The strong performance followed a doubleheader sweep of Bakersfield after the Wolverines dropped the first of three in Orem.
Pitching helped UVU overcome preseason Western Athletic Conference favorites in the back-to-back.
Senior Ryan Evans started game one and held the visitors to just two hits and no runs over 7.2 superb innings of work. Evans struck out three over 113 pitches.
Sophomore Danny Beddes took the ball in game two and lasted 8.1 innings, giving up only three hits and allowing two unearned runs.
“It was incredible what those two did today,” head coach Eric Madsen told a UVU spors information director. “Evans controlled the tempo the entire way and Danny absolutely pitched great tonight, especially working out of trouble in the middle innings after we made some errors.”
The twin-bill sweep pushed the Wolverines to .500 (3-3) in the WAC, good enough for fifth place.
UVU was back on the road for a three-game set at Chicago State April 4-6. The Wolverines follow up the trip with a three-game homestand April 11-13 against Texas-Pan American. The Friday and Saturday contests were scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT, and the finale was slated for 12 p.m. Sunday.
