Utah Tech Trailblazers rout BYU Cougars with seven-run first inning

Utah Tech exploded for seven runs in the first inning and never looked back, defeating BYU 9-4 to improve to 25-10 on the season. The Trailblazers sent BYU starter Luke Sterner to the showers before he could record the final out of the second inning, turning a cross-conference clash into a rout before most fans had settled into their seats.

The Trailblazers wasted no time establishing control, sending nine men to the plate and recording six hits in the first inning alone against Sterner, who surrendered seven earned runs in just 1.2 innings of work. Ryan Kroepel drew first blood with a two-RBI single, and Miller Durham followed with a three-run knock to push Utah Tech's lead to five. Mays Madsen added a sacrifice RBI and Petey Soto Jr. capped the frame with another run batted in, leaving Sterner with a 7-0 deficit and a stat line that read six hits, seven earned runs, and two walks before he was replaced.

Hudson Manwaring provided much of the offensive fuel throughout the contest, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored to set the table relentlessly at the top of the order. Soto Jr. matched him with three hits of his own and drove in a run, while Kroepel finished 2-for-4 with two RBI. Durham, despite reaching base just once on a hit, made the most of his opportunity with the three-run outburst that essentially decided the game in the opening frame.

BYU clawed back four runs in the bottom of the first against Utah Tech reliever Ethan Gardner, getting RBI contributions from Tualau Wolfgramm, Luke Anderson, Cooper Jones, and Keoni Painter to trim the deficit to 7-4. But Gardner settled in after that early damage, working around three walks over three innings while allowing just one unearned run total. Easton Brooks opened the game with a clean one-inning effort, fanning two batters without allowing a hit. David Sheppard closed it out with four innings of three-run, five-hit ball to seal the victory. For BYU, Jaxon Clayton and Tyler Ball both provided stability in relief — Clayton striking out three over 2.1 innings and Ball finishing with three punchouts over the final two frames — but the deficit was simply too large to overcome.

The Cougars' offense, which managed four runs on four hits in the first, went quiet the rest of the way. BYU finished with just five hits across nine innings, and the Cougars' inability to sustain the momentum from their first-inning response encapsulated a broader offensive inconsistency from a program sitting at 13-14 on the year.

With the win, Utah Tech moves to 25-10 in the Western Athletic Conference and strengthens its case as one of the WAC's premier programs heading into the stretch run. BYU, at 13-14 in Big 12 play, will need to regroup quickly before a road trip to Grand Canyon. The Trailblazers, meanwhile, carry their momentum to California Baptist on Friday.