ST. GEORGE, Utah — After winning twice on Friday, Utah Valley University split two games on Saturday at the Dixie State Classic, falling to BYU 7-2 before rebounding with an 8-6 win over Nevada.
 
In the nightcap against the Wolf Pack (6-3), the Wolverines (3-1) built an 8-2 lead and held on to clinch a winning weekend and started the season 3-1 for the third straight year.
 
UVU jumped ahead of Nevada quickly with three in the top of the first inning. Madison Carr singled and Jade Miller was hit by a pitch before Basia Query doubled home the first run of the game. Siena Sandoval added a sac-fly and Linnah Rebolledo also drove in a run in the first.  
 
Nevada got a solo home run from Sadaria McAlister in the bottom of the inning and threatened for more but were limited to just the single run. The Wolf Pack got another run back in the second inning, but the Wolverines responded with two in the third. Jaeden Barajas earned an RBI when she drew a bases loaded walk and Emery Nielson hit a sacrifice fly for the second run and UVU led 5-2.
 
Rien Milliken's RBI single started a three-run fifth. She later scored on Nielson's second RBI of the contest, a base hit back up the middle. Nielson also scored when Miller singled her home with a base hit to center and the Wolverines led 8-2.
 
The Wolf Pack pushed across four runs in the fifth and had the potential tying run come to the plate in both the sixth and seventh, but the Wolverines held on.
 
Katie Zuniga (1-0) got the win after 3.0 innings of one-run softball while Devyn Cretz pitched the final 3.0 innings and struck out seven and picked up her second save of the weekend. Miller and Rebolledo had two hits apiece as part of a nine-hit game for UVU.
 
In the earlier game on Saturday, UVU suffered its first loss of the young season to the Cougars.
 
BYU did the majority scoring early, with two in the first and three in the second. Violet Zavodnik hit a two-run home run in the first, and Emilee Erickson hit a solo shot in the second during the three-run frame that gave BYU a 5-0 lead.
 
The Wolverines got on the board in the sixth, when Carr singled and later scored on an error. After BYU got that run back in the top of the seventh, Kyla Hardy drove in Peyton Prigge for the final 7-2 tally.
 
Rebolledo had two of UVU's three hits in the contest. Zavodnik was 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Cougars.
 
UVU wraps up the weekend on Sunday with an 11 a.m. MT first pitch against No. 2 Washington, who is 8-1 on the season with the only loss coming on Friday to Nevada.