(Long Beach, Calif. - Feb. 6, 2026) - The Trailblazer softball team dropped a pair of games on Opening Day falling 5-2 to Oregon State and 2-0 to Long Beach State at the LBSU Softball Complex.
Utah Tech (0-2) tallied six hits in the first game along with five hits in the second game and were led by senior
Lakaiya-Braessia Kahahawai-Kekona going 3-for-7 in the pair of games with three singles adding a run scored and a stolen base.
Senior catcher
Baylee Howley went 2-for-2 in the second contest and junior
Jayda Gleave had a single in each contest.
In the circle, senior pitcher
Sauren Garton got the start in the opener tossing six innings and striking out five.
The second contest saw junior
Riley Price toss the first four innings & sophomore
Lexie Wilson close out the contest throwing the final two innings.
How It Happened vs. Oregon State
A first-inning single by Kahahawai-Kekona was the Trailblazers' lone hit until the fifth inning when Gleave set down a one-out single to shallow right field.
With the Beavers getting on the board first with a two-run home run in the third inning by Jada Lewis, Oregon State added a sacrifice fly in the sixth before a pair of runs by Trailblazers in the sixth cut the Beavers' lead to 3-2.
Action got started with a leadoff single by
Kinley Pappas and was followed by an infield single by Kahahawai-Kekona. Taking advantage of a Beaver throwing error, Pappas came around to score UT's first run of the season.
Back-to-back walks to
Kennedy Embrey and
Abby Davidson loaded the bases for
Gabi Giroux, who came through with an RBI single to left field and moved Davidson and pinch-runner
Delaney Wright both into scoring position.
A flyout and strikeout ended the scoring threat for the Trailblazers and after OSU tacked on two more runs in the seventh, UT couldn't take advantage of a leadoff single by
Sadie Phillips in the bottom of the frame to drop their season opener.
How It Happened at Long Beach State
After a scoreless first three innings, LBSU got on the board first with an RBI single in the fourth.
A pair of one-out singles by Gleave and Howley in the fifth put the tying run in scoring position, but pinch-hitter Wright bounced into a double play to end the threat.
The Beach pushed their lead to 2-0 in the sixth and after a pair of singles by
Lauren Jones and Howley in the seventh brought the go-ahead run to the plate, a popup by Davidson and a strikeout by Phillips closed out the contest for Trailblazers.
Up Next
The Trailblazers continue Opening Weekend on Saturday afternoon traveling to UC Riverside (0-2) at 2 p.m. MT.
