Utah Tech could not overcome some bad luck on the base paths and costly miscues on defense as the Trailblazers dropped the opening game of their three-game weekend series with CSUN, 14-5, on Friday night at Bruce Hurst Field.
 
CSUN (2-3) led 8-0 heading into the stretch after the Matadors posted a pair of three-run innings in the third and seventh frames, which bookended a two-run sixth inning.
 
Meanwhile the Trailblazers (1-5) were limited to just five hits through six scoreless innings, though they did manage to spoil the Matadors' shutout bid thanks a two-out Hank Dodson RBI-single in the bottom of the seventh.
 
After CSUN extended to a 10-1 advantage in the eighth, Utah Tech sent nine batters to the plate in the home half of the stanza, including four pinch-hitters. Those substitutions paid off as the Blazers scored four times to trim the deficit to 10-5.
 
Blake Borgogno accounted to two of the runs with a one-out, pinch-hit single, which was followed two pitches later by a towering two-run blast from pinch hitter Garrett Cutting. 
 
Unfortunately for the home side, whatever momentum Utah Tech had generated was quickly dashed by the Matadors, who countered with four runs in the ninth to ice the game. 
 
Utah Tech pounded out 12 hits in the game, however the Trailblazers were doomed by four errors, three inning-ending double plays, and 10 stranded base runners. Junior righthander Dylan Gardner (L, 0-2) struck out four and scattered five hits over his five solid innings of work, but was saddled with the loss by a three-run Jakob Simons homer in the third. 
 
The two teams will play the middle game of their non-conference series on Saturday afternoon beginning at 2:05 p.m.