A pair of timely home runs were all the Utah Valley baseball team needed to complete a come-from-behind win over the Seattle University Redhawks, claiming a 6-5 victory at Bannerwood Ballpark in Bellevue, Washington on Thursday.
Cole Jordan went 2-for-4 with a grand slam in the sixth inning, and Spencer Olsen followed it up with a two-run blast in the seventh inning to put the Wolverines up for good. Nick Sims (1-2) came away with the win and Josh Brown closed out the night with a five-out save, his fourth of the year.
The Redhawks tagged UVU starter Devin Smith for four runs on five innings pitched, but he walked away with a no decision after the Wolverines’ bats came alive in the sixth. Mick Madsen got the rally started with a single back up the middle, and Paul Vossen coupled that with a walk to give UVU two runners on with no outs. Spencer Olsen then pounced on the second pitch he saw and drove it into left field to load the bases.
Kyle Coburn swung at the first pitch he saw from SU starter Brady Liddle, but he popped out to the shortstop. Jordan then stepped up to the plate and drove a towering fly ball over the left field wall and into the trees out beyond the fence.
Drew Sims came in to start the sixth and struck out the first batter he faced, but then walked Grant Heiser on four pitches. A wild throw on a pickoff attempt moved Heiser up to second, and he was eventually singled home by Aidan Welch later in the inning.
The Wolverines bounced back in a big way in the seventh inning and reclaimed the lead off the bat of Olsen, whose two-run dinger easily cleared the scoreboard in left-center field.
Sims rebounded with a scoreless seventh inning and recorded one out in the eighth, a scalding line drive right back at him by Matt Boissoneault that went in and out of his glove, but he was able to recover in plenty of time to throw out the batter.
Heiser singled on the next at-bat, which led Eddie Smith to return to his bullpen and bring in Brown to close out the night. Brown finished off the eighth unscathed after walking a batter, but was almost untouchable in the ninth as he struck out the first two Redhawks before getting the final batter to pop out to second.
Don’t look now, but the Wolverines are starting to piece things together and have gone on a little tear over their last few games. UVU has won three out of four games, including a midweek drubbing of the Utah Utes on Tuesday. The bats are starting to come alive for Smith’s ballclub, and the pitching has been more consistent in the last couple weeks, allowing the Wolverines to stay in more ball games.
This weekend’s series in the Pacific Northwest has already been affected by bad weather, with the forecast causing SU officials to move the series up a day and run through Saturday. With rain in the forecast, Friday’s second game is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. MDT, but could be subject to change. Be sure to check UVU baseball’s social media accounts and the UVU Athletics website for any potential changes.
Whenever the Wolverines and Redhawks resume their series, it can be streamed on the WAC Digital Network.
