Utah Tech was felled by a pair two-run UTRGV ninth inning home runs as the Trailblazers dropped the first game of their three-game weekend WAC home series, 13-11, on Thursday night at Bruce Hurst Field.  
 
The Trailblazers (7-18/5-5 WAC) found themselves in a 4-0 first-inning hole before they were able to take their first swings. However Utah Tech managed to get two of those runs back when Chase Rodriguez singled home Ethan Royal and Hunter Katschke with two outs in the home first to cut the deficit in half at 4-2.
 
UTRGV (13-11/3-4 WAC) pushed another run across in second, but the Blazers countered with two more runs in the home second, before erupting for four runs in the third to race out to an 8-5 advantage.
 
Katschke accounted for both runs in the Utah Tech second with his team-leading sixth homer of the season, a two-run blast over the hitter's eye in center field.
 
Utah Tech followed that with four hits in third, highlighted by two-run singles from both Garrett Cutting and Royal, as the Trailblazers sent nine batters to the plate in the frame.
 
The Vaqueros would pull even in the fifth, with the big blow coming on a CJ Valdez two-out, two-run double, which tied the game at 8-8.
 
Utah Tech answered with three runs of its own in the home fifth, thanks in part to two Vaquero errors, and a two-run Katschke single down the first base line that put the Blazers back up three at 11-8. 
 
Unfortunately for the homestanding Trailblazers they could only muster one more hit and five total baserunners from the sixth inning on.  
 
UTRGV pulled to within 11-9 with a run in the eighth and would tie the game on an Armani Raygoza two-run homer with no outs in the ninth. Then after a two-out walk, Adrian Torres put the Vaqueros up for good with a two-run shot over the right field wall.
 
UTRGV then retired the Trailblazers in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.
 
Katschke pounded out a career-high four hits and drove in a season-high four runs to lead the Trailblazers, who finished with 12 safeties on the night. Meanwhile Cutting and Kyle McDaniel finished with two hits and two runs scored. 
 
The two teams will play the middle game of their WAC series on Friday night beginning at 6:05 p.m. (MT).