Utah Tech collected its first series win of the season on the strength of a 5-4 victory over Sacramento State on Sunday afternoon at Bruce Hurst Field. 
 
Junior DH Hunter Katschke spotted the Trailblazers (5-15/3-3 WAC) an early 1-0 lead in the home first with his team-leading fifth home run of the season.
 
Sacramento State (8-11/3-3 WAC) quickly countered in the second with a one-out Elie Kligman solo homer. The Hornets then followed that up with four-straight, two-out singles to plate two more runs to jump out to a 3-1 advantage.
 
Utah Tech answered in its half the frame with two more runs, the first of which came on a Garrett Cutting RBI-double down the third base line. Cutting later tied the game on a two-out fielding error on the Hornet infield. 
 
After the Hornets pushed across their final run of the day on a four-inning Ryan Christiansen single, the Trailblazers took the lead for good with a two-run rally in the fifth.
 
Blake Borgogno singled home Katschke, who doubled to lead off the Utah Tech fifth, with one out in the stanza, while Cutting picked up his second RBI of the day on a ground out three pitches later.
 
The Utah Tech bullpen would make that lead stand as three Blazer relievers combined to limit Sacramento State to only three hits and five total base runners over the final five innings.
 
Two of Sacramento State's three hits during that stretch did come to lead off the eighth inning, but senior reliever Ryan Hardman (S, 3) would come on and strike out two of the next three Hornets he faced to end the threat.
 
Hardman then retired the Hornets in order in the ninth, and picked up his third punch out of the game, to earn his second save of the series and clinch a winning weekend for the Trailblazers.
 
Katschke and senior catcher Hank Dodson each tallied two hits as Utah Tech pounded out seven safeties on the day. 
 
Junior reliever Matt Nelson (W, 1-0) pitched two innings of one-hit relief to earn his first decision of the year, while senior righthander Carson Angeroth struck out two in his one-plus inning of scoreless relief.
 
Utah Tech will close out its brief homestand with a midweek date vs. in-state rival BYU this Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m.