The Utah Tech Trailblazers lost both games on March 13 during the opening day of the Trailblazer Classic at Karl Brooks Field. The team fell to Brigham Young University 10-1 in five innings and then dropped a close contest to Omaha, 6-5, in eight innings.
These results mark a challenging start for Utah Tech (10-16) as they struggled offensively against BYU (7-18), managing only three hits and one run, which was scored by Kamryn Caldwell in the second inning. In contrast, their performance improved in the nightcap against Omaha (16-6), where they collected 12 hits. Drew McKown led the offense with a career-high three hits, while Kinley Pappas, Summer Sanderson, and Baylee Howley each contributed two hits.
During the first game against BYU, the Cougars took an early lead with a five-run first inning and extended it further in the second. The Trailblazers’ only run came from an RBI single by Howley that brought home Caldwell. However, BYU’s pitching limited Utah Tech’s opportunities as they retired 12 of the next 13 batters to end the game under run-rule conditions.
In their matchup with Omaha, Utah Tech started strong by scoring runs in each of the first four innings and building a 5-1 lead. Their runs were driven by singles from Pappas, Howley, Sadie Phillips, and McKown. Omaha responded with home runs in later innings to tie the game at five after six frames. The Mavericks scored once more in extra innings on a sacrifice fly after advancing a runner from second base. Utah Tech could not answer back as their final attempt ended with a double play.
The Trailblazers will conclude their participation in the Trailblazer Classic on Saturday afternoon when they face Omaha again at 2 p.m.
