Utah Tech came away with a split of a home doubleheader against two different opponents on Saturday afternoon at Bruce Hurst Field.
 
The Trailblazers could not stave off a late-inning UNLV rally in dropping a 10-6 decision to the Rebels in the game one, However Utah Tech did manage to escape another late-inning collapse to post a 10-8 victory over Saint Mary's in the nightcap.
 
Game #1 – UNLV 10, Utah Tech 6
Utah Tech (7-10) broke open a scoreless draw after a one-out Rebel error helped lead to a five-run fourth inning rally. 
 
Ty Johnsen got the Blazers on the board with a two-run single to center with the bases loaded and two outs. Petey Soto Jr. then cleared the bases two pitches later with his first home run of the season, a three-run blast over the wall in right center that staked Utah Tech to the sizable advantage.
 
Meanwhile junior righthander Ryan Martinez (ND) was masterful, firing six innings of one-hit shutout baseball with three strikeouts. 

Utah Tech would turn things over to the bullpen, and UNLV (10-5) offense came to life, striking for six runs on four hits and an error to erase the deficit and take a 6-5 lead.
 
After the Rebels tacked on another run in the eighth, Utah Tech had runners on the corners and two outs, but was only to scratch across one run on a wild pitch to make it a 7-6 game.
 
UNLV put the game on ice with three runs in the ninth, two of which came on a two-run Gunner Myro homer. Rebel reliever Alex Overbay worked around a hit and a walk in the Utah Tech ninth to complete the Rebel comeback.
 
Soto Jr. pounded out a season-high three hits, while Ryan Kroepel, Finnegan Stewart and Aaron Perez each had two hits apiece as Utah Tech finished with 10 safeties in the game.
 
For Martinez, it was his fourth-straight quality start to open the season, and the fourth time he would not come away with the decision.
 
Game #2 – Utah Tech 10, Saint Mary's 8
After spotting Saint Mary's (9-7) a 1-0 first inning lead on a one-out Aiden Taurek home run, junior righthander Tyler Ray (ND) retired 14 of the next 17 Gaels he faced over 5.0 solid innings of work.
 
Utah Tech's rewarded Ray with 10-unanswered runs, highlighted by a seven-run fourth inning, to bolt out to a 10-1 advantage.
 
The Trailblazers ripped six doubles over that three-inning stretch, three of which came the second inning. Stewart led off the frame with a two-bagger down the left field line and scampered home two batters later on an Andrew Pyle double to right.
 
Kyle McDaniel followed that with a double off the wall right. Pyle, who had to hold up on the hit, later scored on an Eliot Jones groundout that extended the Blazer lead to 3-1.
 
After manufacturing a run in the third, Utah Tech blew the game open in the fourth. Pyle and McDaniel started the rally with one-out singles ahead of Jones, who split the gap in right center with a double to chase home both base runners.
 
Soto Jr. then flew out to advance Jones to third, and Levi Randall later plated him with an opposite field double to left. 
 
The Blazers then loaded the bases thanks to consecutive two-out walks ahead of Stewart, who cleared the base paths his second double of the game. Perez capped the rally with a single to right to bring Stewart around to score and give Utah Tech a nine-run cushion.
 
Utah Tech again went to the bullpen to begin the sixth, and the Gaels rallied with two runs the sixth and three more in the eighth to cut the Trailblazer lead to 10-6.
 
Saint Mary's kept that momentum going to start the ninth, loading the bases with one out to bring the tying run to the plate.
 
The Trailblazers looked as if they had a shot to escape the stanza with no further damage after Makoa Sniffen lined out to Randall in left field for the second out, which also kept the runner at third from tagging up and scoring on the play.
 
Gael pinch hitter Kent Rees then stepped up and lined a two-run single to center to draw SMC to within two and bring the go-ahead run up to bat.
 
Utah Tech called upon Kroepel (S, 4), who started the game as the designated hitter, out of the bullpen, and the junior closer induced a game-ending ground out as the Blazers clinched their first series win of the season.
 
The Trailblazers collected 13 total hits in the nightcap, including two hits apiece for Stewart, Pyle and McDaniel. Ray tied his season high with five strikeouts over five innings complete, but did not figure in the decision.
 
Utah Tech will look to sweep its three-game weekend set against Saint Mary's in Sunday's finale. First pitch at Bruce Hurst Field is set for 12:05 p.m. (MT).