UVU (16-33) got seven combined innings of scoreless relief from Bradley Gilbert and Colton Kennedy to keep the WAC Tournament hopes alive. ACU (24-26, 7-7) was led by Nick Arias, who finished 2-for-5.

The Wildcats scored two runs in the bottom of the first as the inning ended with a strong relay to the plate from Jimmy De Anda to Chipper Beck to Derek Houston. The UVU offense tied the game in the second inning after Beck walked before Mason Strong’s single to put runners on the corners with no outs. The first two runs scored on back-to-back ground balls, the first hit to ACU shortstop Zandt Payne, who threw low to second, before Brody Block added a grounder to tie the game.

Gilbert entered the game midway through the second inning as the Wildcats threatened with the bases loaded, but he struck out Diego Cardenas and got Arias to ground out to keep the game knotted up at 2. The righty went on to end both the third and fourth innings with a pair of strikeouts on his way to a new career-high seven strikeouts, which was one more than his previous high of six that he set against Northern Colorado on Mar. 6.

Kennedy stepped in to replace Gilbert and picked right up where his counterpart ended, striking out the first two hitters he faced in the seventh inning before adding two more in the eighth by sending down JT Thompson and Brady Ladusau.

The ninth inning started with a single through the middle by Brass and a walk to Hamlin before Katschke’s homer made it 5-2. He passed Jordan Ribera (Fresno State, 2008-2011) and New Mexico State slugger Tristen Carrazna (2016-2019) for ninth on the WAC career homer list, with 45. He needs one to tie Sky Smeltzer (Wyoming, 1986-1989).

The Wildcats looked for a two-out rally against Kennedy in the ninth with Payne and Cardenas working walks to bring the tying run to the dish. They scored one run on a single by Arias, but Miese struck out to end the game.

Utah Valley will go for the series win tomorrow morning. Due to potential severe weather in the area, the first pitch was moved up to 10:00 a.m. MT / 11:00 a.m. CT on WAC International.

Softball’s run ends in WAC semifinals

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Britney Moreno  and  Tatum Hall  each homered to lead Utah Valley past Southern Utah, 2-1 before falling to Tarleton State in the WAC semifinals, 8-4 in Stephenville.

Lily Riley was dominant on the day, throwing a complete game in the opener for her 17th win of the season  — the second most all-time — then kept the Wolverines in the nightcap, tossing four innings of relief while allowing one ER.

Hall homered again in game two for her program-record 53rd RBI of the season. Her two long balls on the day also ensured she had the most homers by a left-handed batter in a single season at 13, surpassing Heidi Stocks’ 11 in 2007.Utah Valley advanced to the WAC semifinals for the third-straight season after making it that far only once previously in 2014 when the team won its lone WAC title.

After two scoreless frames against Southern Utah, UVU struck first on a towering solo homer by Moreno that snuck just inside the left field foul pole. Tatum Hall doubled that lead one inning later, crushing the ball to dead center.

Southern Utah got on the board in the fifth after Riley looked to have gotten out of the inning. Riley walked the lead-off batter after having a pair of borderline pitches go against her. Riley rebounded to strike out the next two batters, but SUU was able to sneak a base hit just inside the bag at third after the batter laid off another close pitch on the corner, scoring one.

Riley didn’t blink, working around a lead-off error and a single in the sixth to retire the side, then sent the T-Birds down in order in the seventh.

Utah Valley got on the board first  in the semifinal via Hall’s record-breaking solo homer. The Texans responded in a big way, scoring six, aided in part by an error and a misread gapper.

Utah Valley showed the resilience they exhibited all season long, getting one run back in the fifth on a  Ry Binne  single that scored  Bailey Marvin.

The Wolverines got back within two in the sixth following a  Payge Armendariz  two-run single. Tarleton ace Shelby Schultz was able to snuff out the threat and retire the next two batters.

The Texans got those two runs back in the home half of the inning.  Hannah Ortega  came on to record the final out, capping off her collegiate career with an emphatic swinging strikeout of Casey Schultz.

Utah Valley went down in order in the seventh, closing out the Wolverines’ impressive 2026 season.

Tarleton State advances to face California Baptist in Saturday’s WAC Championship. Both programs are aiming to reach their first NCAA Tournament at the Division I level. First pitch of that game is scheduled for noon MDT.