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NEWARK, N.J. – Behind sophomore
Andrew Wellwerts (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central)' seventh complete game of the season, Chicago State defeated Utah Valley 3-2 on Wednesday (May 22) in an elimination game of the 2013 Great West Conference Baseball Tournament. It's the first time Utah Valley has ever been eliminated from the GWC Tournament.
Chicago State will play the loser of UTPA and Houston Baptist on Thursday (May 23) at 2:30 p.m. ET at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.
The Cougars opened the scoring with a single run in the first. Senior
Eric O'Brien (Tucson, Ariz./Sabino) doubled down the right field line to leadoff the game and then scored on a double to deep left center by sophomore
Mattingly Romanin (Burlington, ONT/Notre Dame).
Utah Valley tied it in the third on an RBI single by Greyson Bogden.
In the sixth, junior
Nathan Poff (Sellersburg, Ind./New Albany) singled for the Cougars with junior
Dylan Sterrett (Chalmers, Ind./Frontier) at second. Sterrett came around third but was thrown out at the plate trying to score to keep the game at 1-1.
The Wolverines took their first lead of the game in the seventh. Spencer Gothberg walked on five pitches. The next batter, Taylor Berg, worked a full count. Utah Valley put the hit-and-run on and it worked perfectly. Berg dropped a double in the right field corner and Gothberg scored on the play. Wellwerts worked back-to-back fly outs to end the inning.
Utah Valley's lead didn't last long. Chicago State took the lead back with a two-spot in the eighth. Senior
Joelh Calixto (Chicago, Ill./Guerin) came up to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. He smashed a single up the middle on the first pitch he saw to score sophomore
Aveeno Nasiloski (Hammond, Ind./Gavit) from third. Everyone moved up a base on the play and following the third pitch to the next batter O'Brien, UVU catcher Berg tried to pickoff Poff at third base. Berg's throw was high and Poff came home to score the Cougars' third run.
Three runs would be all Wellwerts would need. Wellwerts' day started with runners on second and third with no outs jam in the first. Wellwerts worked a pop out, a foul out and a fly out to get out of the predicament. He finished with a line of five hits, two runs, six strikeouts and three walks. It is his sixth complete game of the season. He entered the GWC Tournament eighth in the nation in complete games. The win moves his record to 4-10.
“Andrew made some big pitches and really put the team on his back in some key moments,” Chicago State head coach
Steve Joslyn said. “Combine his performance with some timely hits and you get a big win for the program. I'm really happy for the guys.”
Utah Valley falls to 24-30. The Wolverines, who defeated defending national champion Arizona earlier this year year, are denied a fourth-consecutive GWC Championship.
Chicago State improves to 9-44.
Utah Valley and Chicago State will both be members of the Western Athletic Conference next season.
