ST. GEORGE, Utah (Interstat) — In a wild, extra-inning affair that saw a dominant pitching start nearly squandered by a late defensive collapse, the Utah Tech Trailblazers rallied for four runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extras and walked off with a 7-6 victory in 10 innings over the Austin Peay Governors on Saturday evening at Burns Arena.

The game’s most critical sequence came in the bottom of the ninth, with Utah Tech trailing 6-3 and down to its final three outs. Facing reliever Ryker Walton, Gavin Long singled and later scored, along with Hunter Manwaring, on a two-run single by Petey Soto Jr. that was compounded by a costly Austin Peay fielding error in left field. Soto Jr. then came home on a sacrifice fly by Kade McDaniel, capping a three-run, game-tying rally that sent the game to extra innings.

The comeback negated a brilliant outing from Austin Peay starter Kade Shatwell, who tossed six strong innings, allowing just two earned runs on no hits while striking out three. His effort, combined with a two-run, unearned home run from Paris Pridgen in the fifth inning, had staked the Governors to a lead they held into the late innings.

Utah Tech’ early pitching was equally formidable. Starter Brandon Kosel, named the top star for the Trailblazers, kept Austin Peay off the scoreboard over 4 2/3 innings, scattering four hits. The bullpen, led by Easton Brooks’ two scoreless frames, kept the Trailblazers within striking distance until the explosive ninth.

After Austin Peay failed to score in the top of the 10th against Utah Tech’s Ryan Kroepel, now pitching after starting the game as the designated hitter, the Trailblazers completed the comeback in the bottom half. Cooper Smith walked, was replaced by pinch-runner Grutzmacher, and advanced to third on a single by Aaron Pyle. Gavin Long then hit a ground ball that resulted in a fielder’s choice, allowing Grutzmacher to dash home with the winning run.

The loss was a brutal one for Austin Peay, which committed three errors in the final two innings leading directly to four unearned runs. The Governors out-hit the Trailblazers 12-10 but could not overcome the late defensive miscues. Pridgen finished with a home run and two RBIs, while Trevor Conley and Jaden Wisdom each had two hits.

For Utah Tech, Soto Jr. led the offense, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Long also had three hits and drove in two, including the game-winner. Smith provided a solo home run in the sixth inning.

With the victory, Utah Tech improved to 13-3 on the season and secured the series win after splitting a doubleheader with Austin Peay on Friday. The Governors fell to 7-8. The game defied pregame projections; while Interstat’s game simulator predicted a 7-4 Utah Tech win, its ELO rating system had given Austin Peay a 67.5 percent probability to win.

Both teams return to action on Tuesday. Utah Tech travels to face BYU in Provo, while Austin Peay returns home to Clarksville to host Ohio.