On a day that Tyson Fisher became Utah Tech's career home run leader, the senior homered twice and drove in five runs as the Trailblazers salvaged the final game of their 2023 season opening series with an 11-1 victory over Portland in eight innings on Sunday afternoon at Bruce Hurst Field. 
 
After spotting the Pilots their lone run in the first inning, Utah Tech (1-3) scored single runs in each of its first two offensive frames. Fisher got the Blazers on the board with an RBI-single in the first, which was followed one inning later by a Karson Irvin suicide squeeze bunt that plated Chase Rodriguez, who walked to lead off the second.
 
Utah Tech kept the momentum going at the plate with three runs in the third and four more in the fourth to take a commanding 9-1 lead. Jack Walker led off the third with a bunt single and raced to second base on a Pilot throwing error on the play.
 
Sean Keating then doubled home Walker to bring up Fisher, who ambushed a 1-0 Peter Allegro (L, 0-1) offering and drove high over the left field wall for his record-breaking 33^rd career home run. 
 
Walker would drive in two runs of his own in the fourth when he doubled to the gap in left center. Then two batters later, Fisher connected for his second two-run homer of the day off of Allegro, who was a 2023 preseason All-America pick, to chase home Walker and stake Utah Tech to an eight-run cushion.
 
While the offense was hitting on all cylinders, three Trailblazer hurlers combined to limit the powerful Portland (3-1) offense to just the one run and 10 total hits. 
 
Freshman righthander Ben Clark (ND), who was making his collegiate debut, set the early tone by striking out three and scattering one run and six hits in 3.2 innings of work. Then the relief tandem of Dakoda West (W, 1-0) and Ben Hart tossed 4.1 innings scoreless innings and allowed only four hits. 
 
West, who was also making his collegiate debut on Sunday, came on with two on and two outs in the fourth and got UT out of the jam. Then after he induced a double play ball in the fifth, the freshman retired the final six Pilot hitters he faced on just 15 pitches.
 
After Hart held Portland off the scoreboard in the seventh, the Trailblazers walked off with the 10-run rule win thanks to a two-run Hank Dodson single.
 
Utah Tech rapped out 13 hits on the day, with Fisher and Dodson collecting three safeties apiece. For Fisher, who began his final season tied atop UT's career HR list with former All-American Jake Engel (2017-21), it was the third two-homer game of his college career. 
 
Utah Tech will continue its season-opening homestand next weekend with a four-game series vs. Wichita State.