In the first Division I rendition of the Old Hammer Rivalry, the Utah Valley softball team took two out of three games from the Dixie State Trailblazers on April 17 and 18 at Wolverine Field.
The series between these former Scenic West Conference foes was set to begin Friday, but inclement weather forced the games to be pushed back a day.
Game one went to the Wolverines by a score of 4-1, with all five runs being scored in the third inning. Devyn Cretz (11-10) pitched her first of two complete games of the series, allowing just one earned run and striking out four.
“Devyn did an incredible job against the top of their lineup, which is very good, and that was really the difference in the series,” said UVU head coach Stacy May-Johnson. “We played good defense behind her and scored the runs we need to win. She gives us a chance to win every time she pitches and if you’re going to score on her she makes the hitter earn it.”
After the Trailblazers scored one in the top of the third, Siena Sandoval got UVU on the board with an RBI single that scored Linnah Rebolledo. Sandoval would come around to score later in the inning on a double by Kyla Hardy. The Wolverines would add two more runs on a DSU throwing error to double their score.
The Trailblazers bounced back in game two to win 15-4 in five innings. DSU scored all their runs in two innings, scoring nine in the third and six in the fifth to clinch the mercy rule victory.
Game three was a pitcher’s duel, as the two teams managed just eight hits combined in a 2-1 victory for the Wolverines. Cretz pitched another gem, allowing just one run on three hits and striking out nine in another complete game.
UVU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead — thanks to a leadoff triple by Basia Query, followed by an RBI single by Rebolledo. The Wolverines doubled their lead in the second inning when Emery Nielson plated Madison Carr with an RBI double. DSU would bounce back with a home run in the third by Meagan Anders, but the Wolverines were able to hold on for the victory.
Following the series against the Trailblazers, the Wolverines will take a break from WAC play to face Boise State in a doubleheader on April 19 in Boise. The first game is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. MT, with game two following shortly after the completion of game one.
