ST. GEORGE, Utah — Utah Valley University split a doubleheader to open WAC play at Dixie State University on Friday at Karl Brooks Field. The Wolverines won game one, 6-4, to run their winning streak to four games before the Trailblazers evened the series in the Old Hammer Rivalry with a 7-4 win in game two. The rubber match is set for Saturday at noon MT.
 
Game One Recap
 
Brooke Carter struck out 10 batters for the second time this season and moved to 6-2 with the complete-game win in game one. Laynee Betancur went 3-for-3 and scored twice while Kalena Shepherd had a pair of hits and drove in three runs.
 
The Wolverines scored three times in the second, with Betancur's RBI single scoring Linnah Rebolledo to give UVU a 1-0 lead. With two outs in the inning, Shepherd delivered a two-run single that scored both Betancur and Kyla Hardy to give Utah Valley a 3-0 advantage.
 
Carter struck out the side in order in the first and retired the first eight batters she faced, six coming as strikeouts. Kasey Crawford got Dixie State into the hit and scoring column with the first of four solo home runs by the Trailblazers in the game. Crawford made it a 3-1 game after her two-out home run.  
 
Dixie State also hit solo home runs in each of the next three innings as well, but the Wolverines were able to answer with single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth. Hardy singled and later scored in the fourth, Rebolledo doubled home Megan Gibbs in the fifth, and Shepherd's double drove home Betanur in the sixth.
 
Carter surrendered a leadoff double in the seventh to bring the potential tying run to the plate but got the next three hitters in order, to secure the win. Her final line was four runs on six hits with the 10 strikeouts without allowing a walk.
 
Game Two Recap
 
Madison Carr led off the game with a single and scored two batters later on an RBI double from Mikaela Thomson. Rebolledo drove in Thomson with a two-out base hit to give the Wolverines an early 2-0 lead.
 
Dixie State got a run in the second before a five-run fourth gave the Trailblazers a 6-2 advantage. The decisive fourth inning came on six hits from the DSU with five different players driving in runs.
 
Thomson drove in her second run of the game in the fifth to make it 6-3 and the Wolverines loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth but were limited to just one run. That came off the bat of Hardy with a ground ball to second that plated Rebolledo, but the Trailblazers limited the damage and also added a run in the bottom of the inning en route to the win.