Softball | 4/10/2025 12:15:00 PM

(St. George, Utah - April 10, 2025) - The Trailblazers stay in the state of Utah this weekend returning to WAC action at Southern Utah on Friday and Saturday at Kathryn Berg Field.

Game #40
Who | Utah Tech (14-25, 5-10 WAC) at Southern Utah (9-22, 4-8 WAC)
When | Friday, April 11 / 1 p.m.
Where | Kathryn Berg Field / Cedar City, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Game #41
Who | Utah Tech (14-25, 5-10 WAC) at Southern Utah (9-22, 4-8 WAC)
When | Friday, April 11 / 3:30 p.m.
Where | Kathryn Berg Field / Cedar City, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Game #42
Who | Utah Tech (14-25, 5-10 WAC) at Southern Utah (9-22, 4-8 WAC)
When | Saturday, April 12 / 12 p.m.
Where | Kathryn Berg Field / Cedar City, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

LAST TIME OUT
The Trailblazers battled tough on Tuesday night at BYU falling to the Cougars, 12-7 at Gail Miller Field.

Utah Tech totaled six hits getting base knocks from six different Trailblazers.

Freshman Kennedy Embrey recorded her first career double while junior Brooklyn Dowdle came off the bench with a pinch-hit two-run RBI single and Baylee Howley scored a pair of runs.

In the circle, Sauren Garton got the starting nod for the 19th start time season tossing 4.1 innings limiting BYU (24-10) to five hits, seven runs (six earned) and struck out four.

With the Cougars getting the scoring started in the bottom of the first, BYU loaded the bases after a Trailblazer throwing error, walk and single. Keila Kamoku came up two batters later and smacked a grand slam to center field for a 4-0 lead.

BYU tacked on a run in the third on an RBI single up the middle, but the Trailblazers responded back with a five-run fourth inning to tie the contest.

Back-to-back walks by Rylie Haith and Jorja Crider put a pair of Trailblazers on base for Kinley Pappas, who delivered Utah Tech's first hit of the game with an RBI single back up the middle.

An RBI ground out by Gabi Giroux and an RBI single by Carly Eldredge tacked on two more runs to cut the BYU lead down to 5-3.

A pair of fielders choices and a walk to Lakaiya-Braessia Kahahawai-Kekona loaded the bases for pinch-hitter Dowdle, who laced an RBI single to right-center to knot the game at five.

The Cougars took back the lead with a four-run fifth inning securing the go-ahead runs with a two-run home run and a two-run RBI double and added a three-run home run by Kamoku that extended the BYU lead to 12-5.

Two late runs by the Trailblazers, scoring one run apiece on a passed ball and a sacrifice fly, gave UT seven runs in the contest.

ABOUT THE SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS
Southern Utah comes into this weekend's series with a 9-22 overall record and is tied with the Trailblazers for eighth in the WAC standings posting a 4-8 mark in WAC action.

The Thunderbirds are coming off being swept at Grand Canyon last weekend, but have home WAC series wins over Tarleton State and California Baptist.

SUU is 4-2 at home while going 0-10 on the road and 5-10 at a neutral site.

The Thunderbirds are coming off a 21-29 overall season in 2024 and beat the Trailblazers in the WAC Tournament, 7-6 in the single-elimination format before falling to Seattle U and California Baptist in double-elimination play.

As a team this season, the Thunderbirds are hitting .250 as a team to rank eighth in the WAC and are also eighth in the conference averaging 2.97 runs per game. SUU is 5-8 when scoring three or more runs as four of its nine wins have seen the Thunderbirds score one or two runs.

SUU ranks fourth in the WAC in stolen bases (32) and sacrifice bunts (19) and will have a .325 on-base percentage and a .326 slugging percentage.

Three Thunderbirds are hitting over .300 from the plate led by freshman outfielder Michaella Salvatierra  has started all 31 games posting a .327 average and tops the team in at-bats (98), runs (18), hits (32) and stolen bases (17 - 2nd in WAC).

In the circle, SUU checks in sixth in the WAC in ERA at 5.47 and is seventh in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 1.00 with 100 strikeouts and 100 walks and are holding to opponents to a .329 average from the dish while opponents are averaging 5.9 runs per game.

Sophomore Emily Delgado has a team-leading five wins and a 3.56 ERA along with a team-high 21 appearances and six complete games. The Corona, Calif., native leads the team in 78.2 innings and has struck out 37 and holding opponents to a .289 average.

SERIES HISTORY VS. SOUTHERN UTAH
The Trailblazers lead the all-time series over Southern Utah, 25-13 in its NCAA era with its first meeting coming in 2007 and squared off three times in 2024 splitting a pair of meetings in the regular season in St. George and fell 7-6 in the WAC Tournament in Seattle.

Utah Tech is 7-8 on the road against SUU while going 17-4 at home and 1-1 at neutral site.

The Trailblazers have won their last four meetings in Cedar City sweeping the Thunderbirds in 2023 in SUU's first season in the WAC and won a non-conference game vs. SUU in 2022.

WAC RANKINGS IN 2025
The Trailblazers lead the WAC in triples with 13 (20th nationally), hits (323), check in second in sacrifice bunts (29), stolen bases (56) and walks (126).

Utah Tech checks in third in the conference in batting average (.303) & sacrifice flies (11) and ranks fourth in RBI (183), on base percentage (.379), scoring (5.26) & runs (205).

Individually, Kahahawai-Kekona ranks fourth in the WAC in hits (47), fifth in batting average (.392), sixth in runs (29) and seventh in RBI (30).

Cassidy Hornung is hitting .353 from the plate, fourth in the WAC in runs (32) & stolen bases (12) and leads the conference with 10 sacrifice bunts.

Four more Trailblazer starters are hitting over .300 with Marisa Rubio had tacked on 36 hits, nine doubles and 24 RBI.

In the circle, Sauren Garton is second in the WAC in complete games (7) & innings pitched (104.2), third in appearances (26) & starts (19) & is seventh in strikeouts (69).

Riley Price is tied with Garton for the team lead with six wins and has tossed 81.0 innings (ninth in WAC) in 22 appearances and has struck out 38.

WAC PLAY WINDING DOWN
Utah Tech passed the midway point of the WAC action tied for eighth in the conference with Southern Utah. 

After the Trailblazers take on Southern Utah (4-8) this weekend in Cedar City, UT faces California Baptist (5-7, sixth) and Grand Canyon (9-2, first) in their final two WAC series of the season.

FIVE THE MAGIC NUMBER
The Trailblazers have reached five or more runs in 13 of their 14 wins this season and are 13-11 overall on the season when reaching the five-run plateau.

CLOSE CONTESTS
Five of the Trailblazers' 20 losses this season have been in extra innings as Utah Tech has dropped games in eight innings to CSUN, Sacramento State, Hawaii, Idaho State and Omaha.

In addition, four more losses have been by three or fewer runs and a total of six losses this season have been by one run.

Overall in five seasons in Division I, the Trailblazers are 5-12 in extra innings with a 3-0 record in 2021, 0-1 in 2022, 1-4 in 2023 and 1-2 in 2024.

UTAH TECH IN WAC PLAY
The Trailblazers are in their fifth season of WAC play with a 50-56 overall mark. The Blazers are 29-27 at home and 21-29 on the road.

UT went 12-13 in WAC play in 2024 finishing fifth in the conference and fell to Southern Utah in WAC Tournament.

The Trailblazers captured the WAC regular season crown in 2023 with a 19-5 overall record, including an 11-1 mark at home.

UT went 8-16 in WAC play in 2022 and finished fifth in the West Division posting a 4-8 mark on the road as well as at home. 

In their first season of WAC play in 2021, the Blazers went 6-12 to finish sixth in the WAC.

WAC TOURNAMENT HEADS TO RIVERSIDE IN MAY
The Trailblazers are looking to qualify for the WAC Tournament hosted by California Baptist in Riverside on May  7-10 at John C. Funk Stadium.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN 
Utah Tech is 204-126 (.618) overall on the road in the NCAA era.

The Trailblazers are 178-114 (.610) on the road under head coach Randy Simkins in the NCAA era.

UP NEXT
The Trailblazers return home to host California Baptist (17-23, 5-7 WAC) for the final regular season series of the season on April 18-19. 

Utah Tech will honor its three seniors, Carly Eldredge, Ellie Evans & Marisa Rubio, on Senior Day on April 19.