Thanks to seven strong innings from senior starter Dakoda West, coupled with a late inning rally, Utah Tech clinched its second-straight WAC series win of the 2026 season on the strength of a 6-5 road victory over in-state rival Utah Valley on Saturday night at UCCU Ballpark. 
 
West (W, 4-3) breezed through the first two innings of his start, though he ran into trouble in the third when UVU broke through with four runs, three of which came after a Trailblazer error that extended the inning.
 
The Trailblazers (25-14/4-1 WAC) would pick up their starter an inning later, striking for four runs of their own to tie the game at 4-4. 
 
With the bases loaded and one out, Hudson Manwaring lined a two-run single to left field to cut the Wolverine lead in half at 4-2.
 
After a wild pitch moved both remaining base runners up 90 feet, Petey Soto Jr. chased home both runners with a single up the middle to pull Utah Tech even. 
 
West found himself in another jam in the Utah Valley (15-23/1-4 WAC) fourth, when with runners on second and third and one out, Wolverine shortstop lined a shot toward Blazer first baseman Miller Durham.
 
Durham made a leaping grab on the hard hit ball and fired it across the diamond to Ryan Kroepel to double off the runner at third base to end the threat.
 
That play served to rejuvenate the senior righthander, who went on to retire the next nine Wolverine hitters he faced. West recorded four of his six strikeouts on the night during that stretch, while he also induced five groundball outs.
 
Meanwhile, the Trailblazer offense gave West his first lead of the night earlier in the seventh when Durham legged out a shallow single to right that scored Kyle McDaniel, who double to lead off the frame.
 
Utah Tech then pushed across a big insurance run in the eighth when after a lead-off Mays Madsen double, Manwaring laid a sacrifice bunt down the third base line.
 
UVU pitcher Bradley Gilbert fielded the ball fired it to first base, but the throw took Wolverine first baseman Hunter Katschke into Manwaring's path the bag. The ball wound up bouncing away from both players, allowing Madsen to score from third base on the error to make it a 6-4 game.
 
Like he had done the night before in the Utah Tech's series opening win, Kroepel (S, 10) was called upon again to move from third base to the mound to begin the UVU eighth.
 
The junior closer retired the Wolverines in order in the eighth, but UVU managed to lead off the ninth with a walk and a double to bring the potential winning run to the plate with no outs.
 
However Kroepel was up to the task, limiting UVU to only one run as he induced three fly ball outs to record his second save of the series and his 10^th save of the season overall.
 
Kroepel's save also pulled him into a tie for third on Utah Tech's single season saves list, and moved him into a tie for second place (18) all-time in program history in career saves.
 
Durham posted his second straight three-hit game, and his fifth straight multi-hit game overall, as he went 3-for-5 with a double to go with his RBI and one run scored.
 
McDaniel and Manwaring also collected two hits apiece as Utah Tech outhit UVU 11-7.
 
In addition, Utah Tech made a little history on Saturday night with its 25^th victory of the season, which is the program's highest win total since its transition to NCAA Division I status six years ago (24-32 in 2021). 
 
The Trailblazers will play for the Old Hammer Rivalry road series sweep in Sunday's finale beginning at 1:05 p.m. (MT).