ST. GEORGE — The Utah Tech University softball team completed a trifecta of sorts last weekend.
Coach Randy Simkins reached a coaching milestone, freshman pitcher Sauren Garton was named pitcher of the week and the Trailblazer softball team swept California Baptist to remain in first place in the Western Athletic Conference.
Utah Tech (28-15 overall, 13-5 WAC) took both games of a Friday doubleheader, drubbing the Lancers 13-2 and 10-2 and followed that with a dramatic 7-6 come-from-behind victory — Simkins’ 500th at UT — at Karl Brooks Field on Saturday.
Utah Tech 7, CBU 6
Coming off Friday’s doubleheader sweep, the Trailblazers didn’t look like a first-place team, committing three errors in the top of the first inning, leading to a 5-0 Lancer cushion. But Utah Tech scratched out a couple of runs and after giving up another and crawled back within 6-3 on a Rachel Campbell dinger in the fourth.
Hannah Hughbanks’ team-leading 40th RBI came when the senior first baseman drilled a double in the sixth to drive in Carly Eldredge in the sixth to make the score 6-4. Garton (W, 10-5), who went 6 1/3 innings of six-hit, one-run ball in relief, retired CBU (25-21, 9-9) in order in the top of the seventh, setting up the late-game heroics.
According to a UT Athletics news release, the Trailblazers drew a pair of one-out walks and would load the bases on a two-out free pass issued to Eldredge.
Lead-off hitter Tanya Windle then stepped up and turned a 1-2 Jazmine Castaneda offering into a double down the first base line, which chased home all three Blazer baserunners to end the game.
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Utah Tech 13, CBU 2
The Trailblazers got off to a fast start in the opening game of the series, scoring all 13 of their runs over the first two innings at Karl Brooks Field.
Utah Tech plated five runs in the home first as four Blazers hit for the cycle to open the game. Windle tripled to start the hit parade, then after a Hughbanks infield single, Shea Clements cleared the bases with a three-run home run to left field.
Then with two on and two out in the frame, Laura Lockard doubled to right field to chase home both base runners.
The Blazers tacked on eight more runs in the second, sending 12 batters to the plate, with six of them collecting base hits. Campbell and LB Kahahawai-Kekona both connected for two-run doubles, while Hughbanks, Clements, Lauren Almeida and Marisa Rubio each drove in runs in the stanza.
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Utah Tech 10, CBU 2
The home team kept the momentum going in the nightcap, jumping out to an 8-0 lead after two innings. The Trailblazers struck for six first-inning runs, with Almeida starting the rally with a two-run single to left field.
Campbell followed that with a run-scoring double, while Lockard singled home two more ahead of a Carly Eldredge RBI-single that chased home the sixth run of the rally.
Oaklee Trapp made it an 8-0 game an inning later when she doubled home Clements and Almeida, who both reached on one-out hits.
Meanwhile, sophomore Attlyn Johnston (W, 8-5) had it going in the circle, striking out the side in order in the first, and had five punchouts through three innings.
CBU came back with single runs in the fourth and fifth frames to try and extend the game, but the Blazers countered with runs of their own, and ultimately ended the game with a RBI single by Windle in the bottom of the fifth to complete the Friday sweep.
Click here for the box score.
On deck
The Trailblazers will be at BYU on Wednesday at 5 p.m. for their final non-conference game of the year.
Then, they’ll play a three-game series in Cedar City against the 6-27 Southern Utah Thunderbirds. The first two games will be part of a Saturday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. and the final will be Sunday at noon.
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