Opening the Western Athletic Conference portion of its schedule April 2-4, Utah Tech baseball hosted California State University, Sacramento, and claimed a 2-1 series win.
The series got underway April 2, as the Trailblazers rallied late for a 7-6 victory in the opener against the reigning WAC regular season champions.
Sacramento State would jump out to an early 4-0 advantage in the opening contest, but four UT runs – highlighted by a Ty Johnsen two-run single – in the bottom of the third inning evened the score.
The Hornets answered with a two-run home run in the fourth to retake the lead, 6-4, before a Finnegan Stewart solo shot in the home half of the frame pulled the Trailblazers within one, 6-5.
Then, with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Utah Tech rallied with a pair of RBI base hits – one from Kyle McDaniel, the other from late sub Kace Naone.
Naone, a senior finance major from West Linn, Oregon, is normally a starter, but remained ready in the dugout before delivering the tying base hit.
“I think just coming in, just wanting to do it for my guys. Just want to do it for them more than anything, ” Naone said.
“We’ve worked so hard, so I just wanted to come up big for those guys,” he added.
Ryan Kroepel then moved from third base to the pitcher’s mound, closing out the ninth for his seventh save of the season to secure the series-opening victory.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” head coach Chris Pfatenhaur said after the late-inning victory.
“Just the grit they showed, and the fight. We’re a club that there’s been some years recently in the past that we don’t come back in that game. That’s a testament to our guys and how much they care about it and how much they compete,” he added.
Ryan Martinez earned the win on the mound in relief, improving his record to 3-1 while tossing three scoreless innings and allowing just one hit.
A senior management major from Las Vegas, Martinez led the Trailblazers in starts in 2025 but has transitioned to the bullpen this season.
“It’s a lot more pressure-filled, I’d say,” he said postgame of the move to becoming a reliever.
“It’s big moments coming in. So it’s just kind of bearing down instead of settling in as a starter, just being ready to go,” Martinez added.
Utah Tech then swatted the Hornets April 3, winning 13-3 in a seven-inning run-rule.
Ty Johnsen went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and an RBI, while Petey Soto Jr. mashed a grand slam as part of a 6-RBI day.
Having secured the series win, UT looked to complete the sweep April 4, but fell 13-11.
The Trailblazers trailed the game 12-2 through the top of the sixth, but mounted a furious late rally to make it close.
Utah Tech would tally a pair of runs in both the sixth and eighth innings, cutting the deficit to 12-6.
After Sacramento State added a run in the top of the ninth to make it 13-6, the Trailblazers would send 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the frame, scoring five runs to make it 13-11.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Petey Soto Jr. came to the plate with a chance to complete the comeback, but he would fly out to center field to end the ballgame.
With the series victory, Utah Tech improves to 20-12 overall and 2-1 in WAC play.
This week, the Trailblazers host a three-game series with former PacWest Conference rival Azusa Pacific University April 10-12.
This article was originally written for Utah Tech’s student newspaper, Sun News Daily.
Photo credit: Brooklyn Fehr, Utah Tech Athletics.
