ST. GEORGE – The No. 4 Dixie State Red Storm won three games on Saturday, including a postponed game from Friday and had more lightning delays, but completed the series sweep of Azusa Pacific.
DSU finished Friday night’s game with a 13-4 victory after two more innings of play and then went on to beat the Cougars 3-1 and 6-4 in the originally scheduled doubleheader.
With an overall record of 42-7 and a 29-1 mark in the Pacific West Conference, Dixie State earns the regular-season PacWest Championship for the third straight year and fourth in the last five seasons.
Leading 11-3 in the bottom of the third of the postponed game from Friday, Dixie State added two runs on a solo home run from former Dixie Flyer Sheila Gelter and a double from Nicole Chavez for a 13-4 win in five innings. Chavez went 4 for 4 with three runs and two RBIs in that game while Courtney Hine went 3 for 3 with three RBI.
Aryn Feickert was the pitcher of record and earned the victory. Brooklyn Beardshear came in for two innings of work and gave up one run and scattered four hits.
In Saturday’s first scheduled game, Marla Reiter hit a double to left field to drive in Chavez to give the Red Storm an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. In the second, Gelter laced a double, scoring Mallory Paulson for a 2-0 edge.
Janessa Bassett hit one in the gap and raced around the bases for a triple, pushing Gelter in to score later in the second. Bassett went 2 for 3 in the game while Paulson went 2 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.
Another lightning delay for about 45 minutes shut down the game in the fourth inning, but Duncan continued to dominate, taking a no-no into the sixth-inning before APU’s first hit. Duncan cruised to her 23rd victory of the year, notching her 19th complete game, allowed just two hits, one earned run and struck out three.
In game two, the runs kept coming for Dixie State with a 2-0 lead again after the first inning.
Josey Hartman laid down a sacrifice bunt to score another run in the second for a 3-0 lead. Hartman was a star in the field all day as well, with a diving catch in game one to rob a base hit and another dive on a foul out in game two.
Azusa Pacific got two runs back in the third after an RBI single and on a deep fly in foul territory to send another running tagging for home.
Chavez continued to be a doubles machine, roping her PacWest leading 23rd for two runs, extending DSU’s lead to 5-2 in the fourth. Reiter hit a bloop single to score another.
The Cougars made it interesting in the seventh with a two-run shot. Feickert got a pop out to end the game and preserve the 6-4 win and earn the sweep. Feickert went to 18-5 on the season.
Dixie State will host Holy Names in the regular-season finale on May 2 in a doubleheader at Karl Brooks Field.
Stats: DSU Softball
BASEBALL
AZUSA, Calif. – Tanner Morache blasted his second home run of the series and Porter Clayton battled through six innings to lead Dixie State baseball to an 8-5 win over Azusa Pacific on Saturday afternoon to earn a Pacific West Conference series split.
Dixie State improved to 29-15 on the season and 22-6 in the PacWest.
Clayton allowed a season-high in walks with seven, but only allowed five runs on four hits while striking out four. He worked out of two separate jams with APU runners in scoring position in the second and sixth innings respectively to earn the win (5-4).
After the host Cougars (29-17, 19-13) scored four times in the bottom of the second, Dixie State answered with four runs of its own. Zach Watts struck out, but reached first on a passed ball to set the table for Morache. With a 2-1 count, Morache homered to right-center field to cut the Cougar lead in half. A pair of singles from Drew McLaughlin and Kevin Kline put runners at the corners and a wild pitch plated McLaughlin. Yuto Kata added the equalizer with a two-out single after falling behind with an 0-2 count.
Two innings later, Kata doubled in Trey Kamachi (Kapolei, HI/Kapolei) to give DSU a 5-4 advantage. Morache hit a sacrifice fly to left field allowing Kata to score. Jeremy Alderman stymied APU in the seventh inning by getting an inning-ending groundout to keep a potential tying run at third base.
Donald Glover and Kamachi tacked on two runs of insurance in the top of the ninth without the benefit of base hits to extend the lead to three runs.
Evan Parker retired the Cougars in order, including a strikeout, to notch his 11th save of the season.
Dixie State opens its final series of the regular season on Friday, May 1, with a home doubleheader against Point Loma beginning at 4 p.m.
Stats: DSU 8, APU 5
Dixie State's Janessa Bassett slaps for a hit, Dixie State University vs. Azusa Pacific University, Softball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 25, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Dixie State's Sheila Gelter, Dixie State University vs. Azusa Pacific University, Softball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 25, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News First baseman Mallory Paulson grabs a high hopper for an out for Dixie State, Dixie State University vs. Azusa Pacific University, Softball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 25, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Nicole Chavez drives a ball for the Red Storm, Dixie State University vs. Azusa Pacific University, Softball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 25, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Dixie State's Marla Reiter launches a first inning double, Dixie State University vs. Azusa Pacific University, Softball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 25, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Nicole Chavez, file photo from Dixie State University vs. Azusa Pacific University, Softball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 25, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Courtney Sherwin puts the ball in play for the Red Storm, Dixie State University vs. Azusa Pacific University, Softball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 25, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Dixie State pitcher Michelle Duncan, Dixie State University vs. Azusa Pacific University, Softball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 25, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Dixie State's Mallory Paulson drives a ball for a double, Dixie State University vs. Azusa Pacific University, Softball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 25, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Janessa Bassett hustles around first base and ends up with a triple for the Red Storm, Dixie State University vs. Azusa Pacific University, Softball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 25, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Red Storm head coach Randy Simkins discusses strategy with Autumn Woodfall in this file photo from Dixie State University vs. Azusa Pacific University, Softball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 25, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
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