OREM, Utah – Dixie State responded to claim the series finale, 8-5, over Utah Valley University baseball on Saturday afternoon at UCCU Ballpark. Despite the setback, UVU won its second straight WAC series for the first time since 2018 after taking two of three from DSU as part of the Old Hammer Rivalry.
 
In a back-and-forth contest, UVU (14-22, 7-11 WAC) held a 3-2 lead after four, but DSU (15-20, 9-9 WAC) managed to score six runs over the final five innings to pull out Saturday's finale. Mitch Moralez led UVU by going 3-for-4 while Spencer Olsen homered and drove home three runs on the day for the Wolverines.
 
"You've got to tip your hat to Dixie State, they played really well today," head UVU coach Eddie Smith said. "They beat our best arms. Statistically we ran our best arms out there, and they found a way to beat them. Offensively, we just couldn't seem to get the clutch hit when we needed it, but we'll get back to work on Monday and just keep getting a little bit better each day." 
 
Dixie State got a two-out RBI hit from Kaden Hollow in the first to take an early 1-0 lead. But UVU answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 advantage. Trey Cutchen started things off with a one-out walk and Paul Vossen smacked a two-out ground-rule double to left to move two men in scoring position. Olsen then drove them both in with a two-out two-run single to center to give Utah Valley the lead.
 
The Trailblazers later got two runners in scoring position in the top of the third, but UVU starter Coop Rust did a nice job to pitch out of it to strand the runners and keep it a 2-1 lead for the Wolverines. DSU then tied things up in the fourth on a solo homer from Tyler Hollow. 
 
Utah Valley got a run back in the bottom of the fourth to regain the lead at 3-2. Vossen started things off with a walk and Garrett Broussard moved him to third with a single up the middle. Vossen then came in to score on a wild pitch that got away from DSU catcher Kaden Hollow.
 
Dixie State countered back, however, with two runs in the fifth to take a 4-3 advantage. But UVU again tied things up in the last of the fifth thanks to a leadoff solo homer from Kyle Coburn to deadlock the score at 4-4. 
 
The Blazers manufactured a run in the sixth and added another in the eighth on a two-out RBI hit from pinch-hitter Parker Schmidt to take a late 6-4 advantage. DSU then added some insurance in the top of the ninth with a two-out two-run homer from Kaden Hollow to extend its lead to 8-4.
 
Following a Dixie State pitching change with one out in the last of the ninth, UVU's Olsen then blasted out the first pitch he saw from Dixie's Dillon Holliday for a solo home run to deep center to make it 8-5. Broussard then followed by driving a ball to deep center, but DSU centerfielder Jagun Leavitt made the catch and Cole Jordan grounded out sharply to third to end the ballgame.
 
Nick Sims was tagged with his first loss on the year in relief to fall to 5-1, while DSU reliever Justin Woodbury (1-1) earned the win after tossing a pair of scoreless innings. 
 
Four Trailblazers recorded multiple-hit outings on the afternoon and Kaden Hollow led the way by going 3-for-5 with three RBIs.
 
Despite the loss, UVU has won five of its last eight ballgames. It also marked the first time that the Wolverines have taken back-to-back WAC series for the first time since taking two of three from both Northern Colorado and UTRGV at home in March of 2018. 
 
Saturday marked Alumni Day for Utah Valley, as a number of former UVU baseball players were in attendance. Both the 1992 and 2012 teams were also recognized for their achievements those seasons. 
 
The Wolverines will now hit the road for a four-game Southern California trip next week. UVU will start with a non-conference midweek at UC Riverside on Wednesday, April 20 followed by a three-game WAC series at California Baptist next weekend (April 22-24).