Dixie State splits with Hawaii Pacific on Senior Night at Hurst Field

Written by Darren Cole
April 24, 2016
File photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – The Dixie State Trailblazers split Saturday’s doubleheader with the Hawaii Pacific Sharks to win the series 3-1. “Sweeping is always nice,” said Dixie State head coach Chris Pfatenhauer. “But our goal is always to win the series. Hawaii Pacific is a good team. They are one of the top teams in the West Region this year.”

Saturday’s games were the last home games for seven seniors. All of them played in either the first or second game of the day.

Game 1
Dixie State 10, Hawaii Pacific 2

The Sharks jumped out to a 2-0 lead then watched helplessly as the DSU offensive machine went into high gear, totaling eight runs in the third and fourth innings. The Trailblazers added insurance runs late.

1trailblazers1Drew McLaughlin hit a two-out single in the third inning to score Jerome Hill II. Later in the inning, Ryan Rodriguez singled to center field with the bases loaded, scoring Tanner Morache and McLaughlin. Dixie overcame the early deficit to lead 3-2.

In the fourth inning, Trey Kamachi began the onslaught with a single to right field. Hill sacrifice-bunted Kamachi to second. Reece Lucero was hit by pitch to put runners at first and second. Tyler Mildenberg doubled down the right field line and advanced to third on a fielding error to score Kamachi and Lucero. Morache singled to left center to score Mildenberg. McLaughlin’s single through the left side put runners at first and second. Sam Hall then doubled to left center to score Morache and McLaughlin. The lead had grown to 8-2.

Dixie State's Trey Kamachi (16), Dixie State University vs. Hawai'i Pacific University, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 23, 2016, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Dixie State’s Trey Kamachi (16), Dixie State University vs. Hawai’i Pacific University, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 23, 2016, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

The Trailblazers put up one run in both the seventh and eighth innings. Miles Bice singled in Trey Reineke in the seventh. Hall knocked in Morache for the final run of the game.

Walker Williams got the win in relief to go 2-0 on the year. Offensively, the top four batters of the lineup had multiple hits led by McLaughlin’s three.

Game 2
Hawaii Pacific 6, Dixie State 4

In the nightcap, the Sharks took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first. DSU clawed back and tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, 4-4. But HPU put up two late runs and held on to get its first win of the series.

Hall started out Dixie’s scoring by hitting a solo shot in the first inning to cut into the Shark lead, 3-1. In the fourth inning, the bottom of the lineup came through. Hill singled up the middle. Then, on a hit and run, play Jake Davison rocked the pitch over the left field wall. On the very next pitch Tyler Mildenberg homered in the opposite direction.

The Trailblazers could not produce any more runs however. “We had scoring opportunities early in the game where we should have taken advantage,” said Pfatenhauer. “We came back and tied the game, but we should have had seven or eight runs by that point. We let some early scoring situations slip by us.”

Sean Hardman suffered the loss in relief to fall to 2-1 on the year. The Trailblazers move to 35-11 overall and 23-9 in the PacWest. Hawaii Pacific finished the day 28-18 overall and 18-16 in conference. Dixie State will play its last series against PacWest newcomer Concordia University in Irvine, Calif. The first game is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. Pacific.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @oldschoolag

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darren Cole recently returned to sportswriting after a 20-plus year hiatus. While pursuing other studies, he developed an early passion for sports writing as a senior writer and sports editor for the Ricks College Scroll in 1988-89. Darren has spent the last 20 years writing legal memorandi and appellate briefs. In addition to his legal career, he has also taught legal and criminal justice courses at the university level for nine years as an adjunct professor. Darren is married to wife Lisa, has two sons and is a confessed sports junkie.

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