Abilene Christian
16-11, 1-3
Utah Valley
17-9, 3-1
Wildcats Drop Game One to Wolverines
3/28/2025 11:24:00 PM | Baseball
OREM, UTAH – Abilene Christian put forth a strong effort in a tightly contested battle against Utah Valley to open the series, but ultimately fell short in a 9-7 loss at UCCU Ballpark.
The Wildcats struck first, putting up two runs in the opening inning thanks to an RBI double from Grant Watkins and a sacrifice fly by Maddox Miesse. ACU held the lead until the fifth inning when Utah Valley rallied with a four-run frame to take control.
ACU responded in the seventh with a four-run surge of their own, highlighted by a two-run double from Sam Hardcastle and an RBI triple from Benjamin Greer, briefly reclaiming the lead at 6-4. However, Utah Valley answered in the bottom of the seventh with a five-run outburst, fueled by home runs from Luke Iverson and CJ Colyer, putting the Wolverines ahead for good.
Despite a late push from ACU, including a ninth-inning run, Utah Valley's bullpen secured the win, with Cooper Littledike earning the save. Blaine Palmer, Caden Greanead, and Brady Coe combined in relief, with Coe finishing strong with a scoreless 1.1 innings.
With the loss, ACU drops to 16-11 on the season and 1-3 in WAC play.
The Wildcats continue the series on Saturday, with the first pitch at 4:05 p.m. (CT). Streaming will be available on ESPN+ as well as live stats.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Huerta, Alan (3-0)
L: Greanead, Caden (1-1)
S: Littledike, Cooper (4)
Batting:
2B: Watkins, Grant 1 ; Hardcastle, Sam 1
3B: Greer, Benjamin 1
RBI: Watkins, Grant 1 ; Cardenas, Diego 1 ; Hardcastle, Sam 2 ; Greer, Benjamin 1 ; Miesse, Maddox 1 ; Bussard, Louis 1
SF: Miesse, Maddox 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Regala, Braden 1 ; Watkins, Grant 2 ; Arias, Nick 1 ; Hardcastle, Sam 2 ; Greer, Benjamin 1
SB: Miesse, Maddox 1
HBP: Watkins, Grant 1 ; Cardenas, Diego 1
Batting:
2B: Smith, Jayden 1 ; Strong, Mason 1 ; Massey, DJ 2
HR: Iverson, Luke 1 ; De Anda, Jimmy 1 ; Colyer, CJ 1
RBI: Iverson, Luke 3 ; Strong, Mason 1 ; De Anda, Jimmy 2 ; Colyer, CJ 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Iverson, Luke 1 ; Smith, Jayden 1 ; Frei, Landon 1 ; Block, Brody 2 ; De Anda, Jimmy 1 ; Colyer, CJ 1 ; Massey, DJ 2
CS: Iverson, Luke 1 ; Longo II, Dominic 1
