Box Scores:  Game One  I  Game Two

PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Utah Valley Wolverines rallied to win the first game 7-6 before holding on to take the second 3-1 to claim both ends of a double header over the Portland Pilots on Saturday afternoon at Joe Etzel Field. The Pilots and Wolverines will next play the three-game series finale on Sunday at 12 p.m.
 
The Pilots (1-6) took control of the first game by jumping out to a 4-0 lead after five innings. In the third, Caleb Whalen drilled a one-out triple down the left field line before scoring the game’s first run on a single by Turner Gill.
 
Nick Armenta and Kramer Scott each notched an RBI in the fourth inning, and Cody Lenahan brought home a run with a base hit in the fifth to give the Pilots the four-run advantage.
 
Utah Valley (3-3) climbed back into the game with a three-run sixth, but the Pilots got a run back in the bottom half of the frame to push the lead back to two runs.
 
The Wolverines again responded, this time with two runs in the top of the seventh, tying the score at 5-5.  Both runs scored on walks with the bases loaded, and the inning finally ended when reliever Billy Sahlinger induced a big-time 1-3-1 double play.
 
Lenahan, who started the inning-ending double play in the top of the frame, then came through with a lead-off single in the bottom of the seventh. Lucas Hunter then doubled, sending Lenahan to third, and Beau Fraser gave the lead back to the Pilots with a sacrifice fly to right field.
 
But UVU had answer in the top of the eighth, tying the score at 6-6 on an unearned run, courtesy a throwing error by the Pilots.
 
The game would remain tied until the top of the 10th inning when the Wolverines took their first lead of the game. Kai Hatch was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored the go-ahead run on a double by Kade Andrus.
 
The Pilots then got the tying run to second base in the bottom of the tenth with one out, but UVU pitcher Ryan Evans ended the game with a strike out and a fly out to deep center field by Gill.
 
Evans (1-0) claims the win after tossing 2.1 innings of relief. He held Portland scoreless, while allowing two hits and fanning one. Devin Nelson started and threw 5.0 innings before giving way to the Utah Valley bullpen.
 
Jeremy Burright (0-1) was the fifth Portland pitcher and he takes the loss after tossing the top of the tenth. Starter Travis Radke, who worked 6.0 innings, didn’t factor into the decision. He was charged with five runs on six hits, but the lefty did strike out 10.
 
The Pilots out-hit the Wolverines 13-7 in Game 1, and Lenahan finished with three hits. Scott, Jeff Melby and Hunter each had two hits.
 
The Wolverines scored the first run of the second game in the top of the second, but the Pilots immediately responded with a run in the bottom of the inning. Jeff Melby led off with a single before advancing all the way to third base on a ground out by Brian Frattali. Fraser then evened the score at 1-1 with an RBI infield single.
 
The score would remain tied until UVU plated a pair in the top of the sixth.  With runners on second and third, Hatch hit a two-run single up the middle to make it a 3-1 game.
 
Down two, the Pilots got runners on base in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings but were ultimately unable to score. In the seventh, Portland had runners on the corners with no outs before Justin Campbell recorded a strike out and an inning-ending double play.
 
The Pilots also got two runners on board on the eighth and got the tying run to second base in the ninth, but Utah Valley received some clutch pitching and timely defense. Brian Whatcott earned the save by pitching the ninth for his first stop of the year.
 
Portland starter Zach Torson (0-2) was solid in his second career start, scattering five hits in 6.2 innings. But he’s saddled with the loss after getting charged with three runs. Fellow freshman Jackson Lockwood was effective out of the bullpen, holding the Wolverines scoreless in 2.1 innings. Lockwood surrendered just one hit and struck out two.
 
The Pilots left 10 runners on base in the second game and stranded 22 runners on the base paths in the two games combined. Fraser had three of Portland’s six hits in Game No. 2.