EL PASO, Texas — Ella Miller struck out eight, Britney Moreno tied a school record with three stolen bases, and Peyton Hall and Bailey Marvin each homered to propel Utah Valley to a 9-4 Opening Day victory over the UTEP Miners in eight innings on Friday.

The Wolverines opened the day and the season with a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the defending Summit League champions, St. Thomas (MN).

Miller was nearly untouchable through the first six frames of her collegiate debut, allowing just one hit and three baserunners total entering the seventh before UTEP rallied to tie the game and force extra innings. Miller's eight strikeouts matched Lily Riley's eight from last season at Georgia State as the most by a UVU freshman since 2011.

"I was proud of Ella for her first start, I thought she did fantastic," said head coach Cody Thomson. "Eight strikeouts in her first collegiate game is really promising for Utah Valley. I like how our hitters stepped up at the end. It could potentially be somebody new every game, and a game like this shows the depth that we have. We have a lot of fight in this team!" 

Moreno became the seventh player in program history to swipe three bags in a single game, and the first since Madison Carr did it twice in a four-day span in 2022.  

GAME ONE
After two scoreless innings, the Tommies got on the board with back-to-back homers off of Riley. Reigning first team All-Summit League honorees Laken Lienhard and Avery Wukawitz got the big blasts for UST.

The Tommies doubled their lead in the top of the fourth on a two-run double from Ruby Moore, and tacked on two more in the seventh on another longball from Cassidy Carb.

Payge Armendariz got the Wolverines on the board in the bottom of the seventh with a solo homer to center, but that was all the offense Utah Valley would get in the 6-1 defeat.

GAME TWO
Miller came out on fire in her first collegiate start, striking out four over the first two frames and holding the Miners hitless through the first 3.1 innings. 

Peyton Hall got the Wolverines on the board in the top of the second with a solo homer over the fence in left. Hall nearly took another trip around the bases in her next plate appearance in the fourth, but the ball went just a few feet foul.

UTEP finally broke through on Miller in the fourth with a one-out double to right center, but the freshman from Bountiful, Utah was able to strand the runner there with two more punchouts. 

The Wolverines rallied for three more in the top of the fifth to make it 4-0 off a two-out rally. Moreno singled and swiped two bags, then Amber Rodriguez took a hit-by-pitch to set the table for Angelique Mann, who ripped a double the other way to plate both runners. Marvin then sent a double to almost the same spot in right center to drive in Mann.

The Miners finally got on the board with a leadoff homer in the seventh. Miller got the next batter to pop out, but two singles and pinch-hit homer from Paige Lassiter tied the game and chased the freshman from the game. Riley came on to get the final two outs and send the game to extras. 

Utah Valley blew the game wide open with five runs in the eighth, which featured the international tiebreaker runner at second to start the frame. After Mann grounded out sharply to short to lead off the inning, Marvin blasted a homer to straightaway center to restore the Wolverine lead. 

Two free passes and a wild pitch set up Brooklyn Ricci, who snuck a single up the middle to drive in two more. Tatum Hall and Moreno each picked up a knock to bring Ricci around to score.

Riley slammed the door in the bottom of the eighth with a pair of strikeouts and a flyout to center.