ST. GEORGE, Utah — Utah Valley University was on both ends of walk-off contests on the opening day of a five-game weekend in a tournament at Dixie State University on Friday. After dropping an 8-7 contest to Weber State earlier in the day, the Wolverines (3-4) rallied from a six-run deficit to defeat Nevada in nine innings, 14-13.
 
Megan Gibbs homered twice and Mikaela Thomson delivered the walk-off hit, her second already this season, in the win over the Wolf Pack (2-10).
 
"This team showed a lot of resolve today. We could have packed it in after the way the first game ended and the second game started," said UVU head coach Cody Thomson. "A lot of players had big at-bats and made big pitches for us to be able to win this one."
 
Nevada scored five runs in the top of the first inning and led 9-3 in the fifth before UVU began its comeback. After a solo shot to lead off the third, Gibbs' second home run came with one out in the fifth and made it a 9-4 game. In the sixth, UVU scored five times to tie it with Kalena Shepherd's three-run double clearing the bases and getting the Wolverines within two runs. A two-out walk to Gibbs put two runners on when Rien Milliken's flyball to center was misplayed and dropped, allowing UVU to tie the game.
 
With the international tiebreaker in effect in extra innings, Nevada scored twice in the eighth after back-to-back doubles, but the Wolverines matched that in the bottom of the inning. Thomson had a sacrifice fly to put one run on the board, and Milliken delivered a two-out, game-tying double to right.
 
The ninth inning saw the Wolf Pack score twice again, but the damage was limited after three straight singles loaded the bases with nobody out. Brooke Carter, who got the win for UVU, came in with the bases full and two outs and struck out the only hitter she faced to keep it at 13-11.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Madison Carr legged out an infield single that scored Laynee Betancur before Linnah Rebolledo tied it with a chopper over third that plated Kyla Hardy. Thomson later came up with the bases loaded and one out and came through with a jam shot base hit that landed in shallow right center and Carr crossed the plate as the game-winner. Carr, Rebolledo and Shepherd had three hits apiece in the game while Gibbs also scored three runs to go along with three RBIs and now has four home runs on the season. 
 
In the earlier game against Weber State, Rebolledo gave the Wolverines the lead with one out in the first on a solo home run to left-center, her second of the season.
 
In the third, Utah Valley sent 10 hitters to the plate en route to the six-run inning. Shepherd singled home Carr to get the scoring going. Gibbs later walked with the bases full to force in a run before Milliken doubled home two runs. Prigge later delivered a two-out, two-run single to make it 7-0.
 
The Wildcats chipped away though, getting four in the fourth including three on a home run from Gianna Memolia. Weber State used the long ball again in the sixth, with Carly Davis starting a two-run sixth with a solo shot.
 
The Wolverines led 7-6 entering the seventh with one out when Chloe Camarero tied it with a solo home run. There were two out and the bases empty when Weber State rallied for the game-winning run. A single, walk, and a hit batter loaded the bases before Memolia drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the winning run. Rebolledo had three hits for Utah Valley while Camarero also had a three-hit came for the Wildcats.
 
Utah Valley continues play on Saturday with game No. 2 against Nevada at 12:30 p.m. MT before taking on Winthrop at 3 p.m.