(Orem, Utah - March 20, 2026) - Despite only allowing two hits, the Trailblazers dropped their WAC opener on Friday afternoon at Utah Valley, 5-2 at Wolverine Softball Field.

Utah Tech (10-19, 0-1 WAC) outhit Utah Valley (18-8, 1-0 WAC), 5-2 on the afternoon with Kinley Pappas registering her 16th multi-hit contest of the season finishing with a single, double and added an RBI.

Freshman Summer Sanderson smacked her third home run of the season while senior Lakaiya-Braessia Kahahawai-Kekona tallied her first triple of the season.

Junior Drew McKown added her first double of the season and drew a walk.

In the circle, Sauren Garton tossed her 23rd career complete game going six innings allowing two hits, five earned runs, five walks and struck out three.

How It Happened
With the Wolverines scoring all five of their runs in the bottom of the first, Utah Valley got its first two baserunners on base via a pair of walks.

After Emma Haygood was hit by a pitch to load the bases, another walk brought home a run and kept the bases juiced.

Garton fanned the next Wolverine for the first out of the frame, but Tatum Hall followed with a grand slam to left-center to put Utah Valey in the lead, 5-0.

The Trailblazers scored its lone two runs in the next two innings getting a solo home run to left by Sanderson in the second and a sacrifice fly by Pappas in the third to cut UVU's lead to 5-2.

Garton held the Wolverines to only one more hit, an infield single in the sixth, but UVU limited the Trailblazers to a pair of hits over the final four innings to hold on for the victory.

Up Next
The Trailblazers and Wolverines wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon at Wolverine Softball Field.