University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Walk-Off Home Run Lifts Bears Past Wolverines
5/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BOXSCORE: Utah Valley
GREELEY, Colo. - For the first time since Feb. 16, 2004, a Northern Colorado baseball team won a game on a walk-off home run as senior Andy Mees cleared the centerfield wall in the bottom of the ninth for the 8-7 victory over Utah Valley on Friday evening. John Ray was the last Bear to hit a walk-off homer, doing so against Southern Utah.
The Bears (12-30) have now won three straight games and senior Kevin Sandberg won his third game of the year after coming in to pitch the ninth inning. Freshman Joe Willman had a no decision after throwing seven strong innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on 10 hits, walking two and striking out four. Freshman Casey Coy pitched one inning, striking out one of the two batters he faced and Sandberg allowed three runs on four hits, walking one and striking out one in the victory.
Mees and freshman Tony Crudo both went 3-for-4 in the game with Mees tallying four RBI and Crudo was missing just a home run for the cycle. It is the first multi-hit game for Mees since April 11 at Houston Baptist as he had been just 3-for-39 entering this afternoon's game but broke out in a big way with the winning hit.
"Andy has been struggling lately," said Head Coach Kevin Smallcomb. "He really starting coming around when we played Air Force earlier this week. He smashed the ball down the right field line to give us a lead (in the seventh) and then the home run gave us the win. He's a solid hitter. We have the ability to stay emotionally high and not panic. We know if we have a chance to hit last, we can make things happen.
"Joe is very good at Jackson," continued Smallcomb. "He's got a good sinker and has some giddy-up to get the ball past you. He's had good stuff most of the time wherever he throws and had good success against the hitters today. Joe is very competitive, a definite bright spot for our future."
The Bears scored eight runs on 13 hits with one error, while the Wolverines had seven runs on 14 hits and also tallied one error.
Northern Colorado wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. In the bottom of the first with one out, freshman Tony Crudo tripled to right center and scored on a groundout by Mees.
Utah Valley tied the game in the top of the third with a run after an error by freshman Adam Hilker. Junior Tyler Borzileri took things into his own hands, giving the Bears the lead back immediately with a solo home run over the centerfield wall, his third of the season.
In the bottom of the seventh with one out, Crudo doubled and scored on a single by Hilker that was misplayed in centerfield and he advanced to third. With two outs, Adrian Schenk drew a walk and both he and Hilker scored on a double down the right field line by Mees.
Utah Valley answered with three runs in the top of the eighth off three singles and a walk.
With one out in the eighth, Berge singled up the middle and Hilker hit a ball to right field that took a weird hop over the fielder for a triple. He scored two batters later on a groundout by Borzileri to extend the Bears lead back to three, 7-4.
The Wolverines again scored three runs in the top of the ninth to knot the score at 7-7, hitting four singles with one walk before Mees led off the ninth with a home run on a 2-0 count.
The two teams square off tomorrow in a doubleheader beginning at 11:00 a.m.
