Utah Valley lost the opening game of its weekend baseball series against Abilene Christian by a score of 9-2, according to a May 8 announcement. The Wolverines, now with a record of 15-33, were led by home runs from Chipper Beck and Kaden Carpenter, but a strong sixth inning by the Wildcats proved decisive.
The game began with Utah Valley taking an early lead after Beck hit a home run in the second inning. Starting pitcher Jacob Heppner retired the first seven batters he faced, recording consecutive strikeouts to end the first and begin the second inning.
Abilene Christian tied the game in the third on an RBI double from Zandt Payne that brought Kanon Sundgren home. Utah Valley responded quickly when Carpenter hit his thirteenth home run of the season to regain a one-run advantage for UVU. However, ACU starter Aidan Coleman settled down and did not allow another Wolverine hit until the seventh inning.
Utah Valley had opportunities to extend its lead in both the fifth and sixth innings but was unable to capitalize. In those frames, Derek Houston reached base on an error while Cooper Brass got on via fielder’s choice and Trenton Rowan was hit by a pitch; later, Carpenter walked and stole second but remained stranded as Coleman kept UVU off the scoreboard.
A four-run sixth inning for Abilene Christian shifted momentum firmly toward the Wildcats. JT Thompson contributed with a two-run single during that stretch and finished with four runs batted in overall as ACU pulled away for good.
Reliever Aaron Rice provided some stability out of Utah Valley’s bullpen with 1⅔ scoreless innings pitched. The teams are scheduled to continue their series on Saturday at 2 p.m. Mountain Time (3 p.m. Central Time), concluding Sunday morning at 11 a.m., with both games set to air on WAC International.
