Utah Tech opened the 2023 season on a sour note thanks to a 17-3 loss to Portland in seven innings on Friday afternoon at Bruce Hurst Field. 
 
The Trailblazers (0-1) fell into an early hole after the Pilots tallied a pair of two-out runs in their first trip to the plate.
 
Utah Tech got one of those runs back in the home first when Sean Keating doubled home Bryker Hurdsman, who lined a lead-off double off the wall in left field in his first collegiate at-bat.
 
However it was all Pilots (1-0) from there as they struck for six runs in the third, and eight more in the fourth, to extend to a commanding 16-2 lead and would coast to the season-opening road win. 
 
Keating collected two of the Trailblazers' four hits on the day, which included a Zach Thomas home run in the UT fifth inning.
 
The two teams will play the middle two games of their four-game weekend on Saturday afternoon beginning at 2:05 p.m.