Box Score Game One
Box Score Game Two
OREM, UT—Utah Valley continued its dominance of Great West Conference baseball, crossing the 20-win plateau in conference play by sweeping a Saturday doubleheader against visiting NJIT at Brent Brown Ballpark.
Utah Valley, which took the Saturday games by scores of 7-1 and 24-7, winning its 20th and 21st conference games in the inaugural Great West baseball season. The Wolverines had won their 30th game overall when they defeated the Highlanders Friday night in the first game of the scheduled four-game set. The Wolverines are 21-2 in the Great West Conference, while NJIT is 7-15.
The Wolverines, who took Saturday's seven-inning opening game, 7-1, scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the first inning and then added three more runs in the fifth inning and another run in the sixth. NJIT got its only run of the game in the top of the sixth inning.
The second game was actually tied, 3-3, going into the bottom of the second inning, but Utah Valley bombarded four NJIT pitchers for 21 more runs and a total of 28 hits in taking the game, 24-7.
While Utah Valley's runs and hits totals were the most against the Highlanders this season, it was the 22nd time the explosive Wolverines have scored at least 10 runs in a game and the seventh time they have scored at least 21 runs in a game..
The winning pitcher in game one was Utah Valley freshman RHP Blake Kranenbuhl, who is 7-1 after working five innings and allowing five hits and one run in the win against NJIT. Reliever Craig Brimhall held the Highlanders off the board for the final two innings.
The losing pitcher was NJIT freshman LHP Tripp Davis (2-6), who also pitched five innings and allowed six runs on six hits. He was hurt by five bases-on-balls and a hit batter. DJ Roche allowed a run in his one inning of relief.
Jace Brinkerhoff and Goose Kallunki each had two hits to lead the Wolverines in game one. Kallunki, a sophomore first baseman, drove in five of his team's seven runs, including three runs in the first inning when he doubled with two outs and the bases loaded. He also doubled home two more runs in the fifth inning.
The Highlanders, who, like UVU, had seven hits in the first game, got two of them from Matt Petrone, who was in the top spot in the NJIT batting order. The other five hits came from five different players, including James D'Aloia and Jeffrey Pizzi, each of whom doubled. Bryan Bleakley had one hit, a single in the sixth inning that drove home Petrone with the only NJIT run of the game.
Utah Valley scored three runs (one earned) in the opening inning of the second game, but NJIT came back to tie the score with three runs of its own in its next turn at bat in the top of the second inning.
However, the Wolverines quickly went ahead to stay, with three runs on five hits in the bottom of the second inning. They continued to pull away, scoring at least two runs in every inning but the seventh, when they posted their only zero. However, the scoreless seventh inning was preceded by a game-high seven runs in the sixth inning.
Utah Valley used five pitchers in the game. Starter Braden Poole, who shut out NJIT in the first inning, could not get an out in the second inning and was pulled after facing four batters in that frame. He was charged with four hits and three runs.
The first UVU reliever, junior Sam Armstrong, entered in the second and was credited with the win to go 4-4 on the season. He pitched five innings against the Highlanders and allowed no runs on four hits.
Three more Utah Valley relievers combined to allow six hits and four runs while tossing an inning apiece.
The losing pitcher for the Highlanders was freshman RHP Mark Leiter Jr., who has been the team's best pitcher for the last month. He was charged with six earned runs (10 total) in four innings against Utah Valley, marking the first time since April 10 that he didn't go at least seven innings. He had two nine-inning complete-game wins in that span.
All three NJIT relievers in Saturday's second game were hit hard, as they allowed 13 earned runs in four innings.
Brinkerhoff was the total hits leader in the game for the winners, getting five hits, including his 21st double of the seaso, in seven at-bats. SS Jake Rickenbach was 4-for-7, including two triples, with four runs scored. He shared the runs scored lead with Chris Benson, who was 3-for-4 (two triples).
The runs batted in leader, with four, was Kalunki, who had a double, his 22nd of the season, and a triple in five at-bats. Brinkerhoff and Kade Andrus each drove in three runs. Andrus, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, got two of his RBI on a home run in the eighth inning. It was his first homer of the season and the only home run in the game for either team.
Even though they were overwhelmed on the scoreboard, the Highlanders had a solid hitting game themselves in the nightcap, piling up 14 hits.
Petrone again led the way, getting three hits in four at-bats, plus a base-on-balls. He was 5-for-8 and scored three times in the doubleheader returning to the leadoff spot he had filled earlier in the season.
Vincent Del Vecchio, John Berner, and Marc Prager all chipped in two hits apiece for NJIT. One of Berner's hits was an RBI double in the second inning and Matt Tomczyk tripled home a run and later scored himself on a wild pitch in the ninth inning. Tomczyk and Prager each finished with two runs batted in.
NJIT and Utah Valley are scheduled to close out the series on Sunday at 1 pm (MDT) in a single nine-inning game.
