(Orem, Utah - March 21, 2026) - Utah Tech closed out its opening WAC series on Saturday afternoon splitting a doubleheader at Utah Valley at Wolverine Softball Field.
Utah Tech (11-20, 1-2 WAC) took the opening contest over Utah Valley (19-9, 2-1 WAC), 8-6 before dropping a hard-fought contest in game two, 7-6 as the Wolverines won on a walk-off walk.
In the opening game, a pair of Trailblazers had three-hit performances with
Lakaiya-Braessia Kahahawai-Kekona tallying a pair of singles & a double, scored three runs and drew a pair of walks.
Kinley Pappas added a 3-for-4 showing from the plate driving in a pair of RBIs and scored a run.
Summer Sanderson drove in a pair of RBIs and
Sadie Phillips scored a pair of runs.
In the circle,
Lexie Wilson earned her fifth win of the season limiting the Wolverines to three runs while
Delaney Wright closed out the contest throwing the final two innings.
In the second contest, a trio of Trailblazers notched two hits apiece led by Pappas with a triple and home run.
Baylee Howley and Sanderson each added two hits apiece with Howley driving in a pair of RBIs.
Sauren Garton made the start in the circle tossing 5.1 innings striking out three with Wright coming on in relief for the final 1.1 innings taking the hard-luck loss.
How It Happened Game One
The Trailblazers got the scoring started right off the bat with a four-run top of the first scoring their first two runs off RBI singles by Giroux and
Kennedy Embrey.
A bases-loaded walk by
Drew McKown brought home another run and the scoring was rounded out with Giroux coming home to score on a wild pitch.
Pappas tacked on an RBI single in the fourth to push the Trailblazers in front, 5-0 with the Wolverines getting on the board with back-to-back sacrifice flies.
The Trailblazers extended their lead to 8-2 in the sixth with Howley being driven home after Pappas was hit by a pitch. Sanderson followed two batters later with a two-run RBI single down the right field line driving in Kahahawai-Kekona and Phillips.
The Wolverines answered back with three runs of their own with a solo home run and a two-run RBI single to cut UT's lead to 8-5 and a solo home run by Emma Haygood to start the seventh made it a two-run contest.
After issuing a two-out walk, Wright shut down any comeback attempt by UVU getting the final out on a line out to left.
How It Happened Game Two
The Wolverines raced out to a 3-0 lead after the first two innings of the nightcap scoring a pair on a two-run RBI single in the first and a solo home run in the second.
A leadoff home run by Pappas got the Trailblazers on the board to start the fourth and they tied the contest at three in the fifth with a pair of runs.
An RBI triple by Pappas and an RBI single to right by Giroux made it 3-3 before UVU re-gained the lead in the sixth with two runs.
Facing a 5-3 deficit, the Trailblazers answered back with three runs in the seventh scoring one run on an RBI single by Sanderson and took the lead after a two-run RBI single to right by Howley.
The lead was short-lived as the Wolverines came back with a pair in the bottom of the frame to earn the walk-off win tying the game on a bases-loaded hit by pitch and scoring the go-ahead run on a walk-off walk by Tatum Hall.
Up Next
The Trailblazers are back home next week to host Southern Utah (15-18, 1-2 WAC) on Friday and Saturday at Karl Brooks Field.
