(Long Beach, Calif. - Feb. 28, 2025) - The Trailblazers opened the Louisville Slugger Invitational on Friday splitting a pair of contests downing Loyola Marymount, 6-2 before dropping the nightcap to host Long Beach State, 4-1.

Utah Tech (7-11) totaled eight hits in the win over Loyola Marymount (7-12) getting base hits from eight different Trailblazers, including triples by LB Kahahawai-Kekona and Gabi Giroux.

Kahahawai-Kekona scored a pair of runs and drove in two RBI against the Lions while Giroux also added two RBI.

Sophomore Riley Price improved to 4-2 in the circle throwing a complete game allowing eight hits, two runs and struck out three.

The nightcap against Long Beach State (7-7) saw UT held to three hits with Baylee Howley leading the charge with a double, run scored and walk.

Sauren Garton made her eighth start of the season tossing five innings striking out six for her third game this season with six or more strikeouts.

Loyola Marymount Recap
Playing as the home team against the Lions out of the WCC, the Trailblazers scored first with a pair of runs in the second on an RBI triple down the left field line by Giroux.

With LMU getting on the board in the third, Utah Tech answered in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single to left by Marisa Rubio.

The Trailblazers extended their lead to 6-1 in the fourth scoring a pair on an RBI triple by Kahahawai-Kekona and added one final run on an RBI single by Rylie Haith.

LMU attempted to come back chipping away at the Trailblazers lead with a run in the fifth.

Price stranded the bases full of Lions in the sixth getting a strikeout looking and LMU again loaded the bases in the seventh.

With one out, Price got a double play to end the contest as a flyout to Maka Sonognini in center got one down and she hurried it in to Kahahawai-Kekona at second base to double up the LMU baserunner.

Long Beach State Recap
The Beach got the scoring started in the contest with a pair of runs in the first taking advantage of a Trailblazer wild pitch and fielding error.

UT responded scoring its lone run of the contest in the second on an RBI triple by Sadie Gardner driving in Howley to cut LBSU's lead to 2-1.

After responding with a run in the third, the Beach pushed their lead to 4-1 in the fifth on a single to left as UT was able to get one runner on base in the sixth and seventh, but was unable to push a run across.

Up Next
The Trailblazers are back in action for day two of the Louisville Slugger Invitational on Saturday taking on Cal Poly (3-11) at 3 p.m. and Pittsburgh (9-8) at 5:30 p.m.