OREM, Utah – Utah Valley University baseball scored 10 unanswered runs and Mick Madsen led the way by going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBIs en route to leading UVU to a 10-4 victory over Sacramento State on Saturday afternoon at UCCU Ballpark. 
 
A trio of Wolverines (9-18, 3-8 WAC) also homered on the day, as Spencer Olsen, Mitch Moralez, and Kayler Yates all left the yard for UVU. Nick Sims came on in on the mound in the middle innings for the Wolverines and was lights out, as he tossed 4.2 innings of scoreless relief on his way to improving to 4-0 on the season. With the series now all evened up at one win apiece, the Wolverines will look to take the conference series on Sunday. 
 
"Nick Sims not only pitched well today but has pitched well for us all season long. Our mindset has been to use him when we have an opportunity to win games, and it takes an amazing person to do that," head coach Eddie Smith said. "It takes a real team guy to be in the role that he's in for us this year and that's just the kind of person that Nick is, and he's done it for us day in and day out."
 
The Hornets (12-14, 4-7 WAC) took advantage of a first-inning error on their way to scoring an early run to take a 1-0 lead. Jorge Bojorquez then hit out a solo homer for Sac State in the second to make it 2-0.
 
UVU then loaded the bases in the third and Madsen delivered the big hit with a bases-clearing double to right-center to give Utah Valley a 3-2 lead. Drew Sims started the spurt with a leadoff walk and Moralez followed two batters later with a single to left. Following a balk by Sac State's Noah Lucchesi, Trey Cutchen then worked a walk to fill the bases. Madsen then drove them all in with the bases-clearing extra-base hit.
 
Sacramento State then looked to answer in the fourth by loading the bases with one away, but UVU's Nick Sims came on from the pen and managed to strand the runners thanks to drawing an infield fly off the bat of Keith Torres and a lineout to third from Nick Iwasa to keep it a 3-2 lead for the Wolverines.
 
Drew Sims then got a two-out hit for UVU in the bottom of the fourth and Olsen followed with a two-run home run that just cleared the fence in straightaway center to extend Utah Valley's lead to 5-2. The round-tripper marked Olsen's second of the season and second in the past week and a half. 
 
UVU then made it 6-2 in the fifth thanks to a sac fly from Madsen. Cutchen started the frame with a leadoff walk and took second on a wild pitch and third on a passed ball. Madsen then drove him in with his fourth RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to center. 
 
The Hornets again loaded the bases in the seventh with one away, but Nick Sims managed to escape the jam unscathed for the second time in the game by striking out Jeffrey Heard and drawing an inning-ending fly out off the bat of Bojorquez to preserve the 6-2 advantage. 
 
The Wolverine offense then continued to stay hot in the game with a leadoff single from Olsen in the last of the seventh followed by a two-run big fly to left from Moralez to extend UVU's lead to 8-2. 
 
Sac State got a two-out double from Josh Rolling in the eighth, but Nick Sims again stranded the runner by drawing an inning-ending groundout to the left side of the infield. Kayler Yates then gave the Wolverines some insurance in the bottom of the frame with a no-doubt solo homer to left to make it 9-2. Following a double from Drew Sims, Olsen then added another run on the board for UVU with an RBI single to left to extend Utah Valley's lead to 10-2.
 
The Hornets got a late two-run home run from Heard in the ninth, but it wasn't enough as UVU held on for the victory. 
 
Behind Madsen's three-hit and four-RBI outing, Olsen also collected three hits for UVU by going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Moralez and Drew Sims also had multiple hits on the day, as Sims went 2-for-3 with a double and three runs scored and Moralez went going 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Cesar Valero paced Sac State by going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
 
"Our offense did a nice job. We really, really talk about owning the zone, and over the last couple of weeks we've made some strides in that area," Smith added. "Mick's just had a really good year for us. And I'm so proud of Spencer Olsen and the way that he's battled back to earn a spot in our lineup after having a tough time in our preseason scrimmages. But he never pouted, never complained, and was always working. Now his number has been called and we're hoping that he can keep things going and keep building that confidence."
 
After a nice start from Mason Gray, Nick Sims then came on in relief for UVU and didn't allow a run while striking out two and scattering three hits over 4.2 impressive innings of work to earn the win. Sac State's Lucchesi was tagged with the loss to drop to 0-4.
 
The Wolverines and Hornets will close the three-game set on Sunday from UCCU Ballpark at 12:05 p.m. UVU will be going for its first WAC series win since May of 2019 when it took two of three from the same Sac State Hornets at home. UVU will remain home following Sunday's contest to cap a four-game homestand by welcoming in-state and Pac-12 foe Utah to town on Tuesday evening (April 5).