Baseball club sweeps tournament

The Weber State University Baseball Team traveled to Mesquite, Nev., March 4-6, where they played and won five games. WSU played UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, Loyola Marymount University, Eastern Washington University and Arizona State University. These were the first regular season games for the Wildcats.
During the first game of the tournament against UCSC, the Wildcats found themselves down 4-7 in the final inning with two outs. WSU rallied back by producing three runs to send the game into extra innings, and went on to score six unanswered runs, defeating UCSC 13-7.
“Even though we played down to their level early in the game, guys came together, made their last at bats really count, and we found a way to win,” said Head Coach Duncan Olsen.
For the second game, WSU faced off against UCSB. WSU jumped to an early 6-2 lead. Pitcher Adam Roberts held off the UCSB bats for the rest of the game. The final score was 6-5.
Alberto Perea said Roberts pitched a strong game against UCSB and the WSU’s bats did enough to get the win.
For the third game against Loyola Marymount, Olsen decided to give his starters a rest and give the young squad the green light. WSU produced 13 runs and allowed only one. The final score after seven innings was 13-1.
“Guys are getting hungry to crush the ball and get runs,” said WSU hit leader and centerfielder Taylor Hood. “We’re battling together as a team, and it’s showing on the scoreboard.”
For the next game, WSU faced top-ranked EWU. Junior pitcher Kayleb Kester allowed only one run though six and two-thirds innings pitched. WSU hitters produced runs in the second, third and fifth innings. WSU defeated EWU 3-1.
“This was a huge win for us,” Olsen said. “This was probably the toughest team we faced up here. Good pitching, good defense with some timely hitting got the job done for us. All the guys showed a lot of character.”
WSU played their final game of the tournament against ASU. Freshman pitcher Clint Felion gave up three runs in the first inning. Star hitters Brandon Noyes, Nate Miller and Hood got the offense going and produced four runs for WSU. Once the Wildcats took a 4-3 lead, Felion found his rhythm and did not allow any more runs for the rest of the game. The final score was 4-3 WSU.
“I got off to a shaky start, but Roberts got a big hit in there that got bats going and the guys came through with run support,” Felion said. “Once I found my groove I just did my job and helped us get the win.”
Olsen partially attributed WSU’s success to improved teamwork.
“Team chemistry is better, and getting better every game,” he said. “Our offensive approach is better; guys are becoming more patient at bat and getting more favorable hit counts. No matter what situation the team is in, guys are finding ways to execute and win close games.”
As the weather continues to warm up, the WSU Baseball Club plans to practice more outdoors as they move toward next weekend’s games.
This Friday and Saturday WSU will host Dawson Community College here in Ogden at Lindquist Field.