IRVINE, Calif. — Samuel Hall homered twice and sophomore starter Dylan File pitched seven solid innings as No. 14 Dixie State opened its final Pacific West Conference series of the 2016 regular season with a convincing 10-2 victory over Concordia University Friday in Irvine, Calif.
With the victory, DSU tied its single-season school record for wins in the NCAA Division II era as the Trailblazers improved to 36-11, 24-9 in PacWest play.
DSU took control from the onset, scoring six runs over its first three offensive innings to bolt out to a 6-0 lead. Hall got the Trailblazers on the board in the opening stanza when he belted his team-leading seventh home run of the season with a man on to give DSU a quick 2-0 lead. Dixie State added another run in the second on a wild pitch before erupting for three runs in the third inning. Miles Bice doubled home a run in the frame, while the Trailblazers were gifted two more runs thanks to a pair of Eagle errors.
Meanwhile, File (W, 6-1) struck out four of the first nine Eagle hitters he faced through his first three innings. However CUI touched him up for two quick runs in the fourth on a lead-off double and two-run home run off the bat of John Bornhop, which cut the DSU lead to 6-2. But that would be as close as the Eagles (20-27/16-17 PacWest) would get as File came back to strike out two in the frame and would go on to retire 12 of the next 15 batters he faced over his final four innings of work.
Dixie State got the two runs back in the sixth thanks to Tyler Mildenberg’s RBI-single and Drew McLaughlin’s run-scoring flyout. The Trailblazers then tacked on another run on a wild pitch in the seventh and Hall capped off the day with a solo blast to right field, his eighth homer of the year.
The Trailblazers finished with 11 hits, with Hall, Bice and Mildenberg collecting two hits apiece as the trio accounted for five of DSU’s six RBI. File finished with seven strikeouts as he and two relievers combined to limit the Eagles to two runs on five hits on the afternoon.
Dixie State and Concordia continue the series with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. (PDT), at Eagles Field.
GAME NOTES: DSU head coach Chris Pfatenhauer was in the dugout for his 200th game as DSU skipper … Senior shortstop Tanner Morache saw his 16-game hitting streak halted with an 0 for 4 day at the plate, though he did draw a walk to extend his streak of reaching base safely to 36 games … Morache has hit safely in 43 of 47 games this season and has reached base safely in 45 of 47 games overall … Hall is the first player to hit two home runs in a game since former DSU outfielder Donald Glover went deep twice at home vs. Fresno Pacific on May 3, 2014 … With the win on Friday, File matched his freshman record (6-1), which earned him PacWest Freshman of the Year honors last year … DSU’s victory marked the first time it has won 36 regular season games in the program’s NCAA era … Dixie State won a school-record 36 games (36-17) in 2014, but the 36th win came in postseason play in the NCAA West Regionals.
SOFTBALL
CUI 7, DSU 5 — Postponed
The Dixie State softball doubleheader vs. Concordia was postponed until Saturday at 11 a.m.
Play was suspended with Concordia leading 7-5 with one out and two on for Dixie State in the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 1 of a scheduled four-game series, after the third delay (two lightning delays, one rain delay) of the game.
The doubleheader, originally scheduled for a 3 p.m. start, was initially delayed one hour and 48 minutes due to lightning in the area. The first scheduled game of the doubleheader started at 5:48 p.m., and DSU scored one run in the first and three runs in the second to take a 4-0 lead.
Concordia answered with three runs in the third inning and two in the fourth to take a 5-4 lead. The Trailblazers evened the score at 5-5 with a run in the bottom of the fourth.
The Eagles answered again, this time with two runs in the fifth inning and another in the sixth to extend their lead to 8-5. DSU then put runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the sixth when play was suspended.
NOTES: Senior pitcher Aryn Feickert became the new DSU single-season strikeout leader, recording her fifth strikeout of the game and 163rd of the season to end the top of the third inning…DSU will honor its three seniors after the completion of the game in progress…Azusa Pacific swept California Baptist on Friday, claiming the PacWest Championship.
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