Early runs clawed, Wildcats to Cary over Dixie State

Dixie State season ends in Regional Championship

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KEIZER, Ore. – Six runs in the first inning proved enough for Chico State on Sunday. The Wildcats won the NCAA Division II West Baseball Regional and earned a trip to the USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary, N.C., by defeating Dixie State College 7-3 at Volcanoes Stadium.

The Red Storm fell just short of competing for a national championship, seeing its season end with a 35-20 overall record. Chico State returns to the NCAA Baseball Championships for the eighth time in the last 16 years.

Mike Dedrick (Cedar City, UT/Canyon View) took the ball for Dixie State and struggled to find command early with anything other than his fastball. In the Wildcat first, he plunked the opening two batters and walked another to load the bases with two outs.

A third hit batter pushed across the Cats first run. Shane Kroker added two with a single to center field and a subsequent double that ended Dedrick's day early. Chico supplemented with a sacrifice fly and RBI single to tally six runs on three hits.

Stefan Cantwell (South Jordan, UT/Bingham), in relief of Dedrick, closed his freshman year with six quality innings of relief. He scattered one run on five hits while striking out three. Jordan Blanchard retired all five batters he faced to finish the year with a 1.17 ERA.

Dixie State notched a run with two outs in the third inning. Garrett Nash (Draper, UT/Jordan) doubled to the wall in right field and scored on a single to right by Colton Yack (South Jordan, UT/Bingham).

The Wildcat lead was cut to 6-3 in the sixth inning when Jayden Darrington (Washington, UT/Desert Hills) blasted a pinch-hit two-run homer to left field off Sean Martin.

Chico plated an insurance run in the seventh. Martin allowed two hits after the Darrington homer to pick up his second win over the Storm in the regional.

Hanley, Yack and Joe Andrade (Yuma, AZ/San Luis ) each had two hits as the Storm outhit the Cats nine to seven.

NOTES: Jordan Hanley (Las Vegas. NV/Bonanza) and Sam Friend (Las Vegas, NV/Centennial) were named to the All-Tournament Region Team. Hanley went 9-for-20 in the tournament with a double and 2 RBI. Friend tossed a complete game in defeating Chico State on Saturday - one run on five hits.

All-West Region tournament team
C - Kyle Blackwell, WOU
1B - Richard Seigel, UCSD
2B - Pierson Jeremiah, Chico State
3B - Shane Kroker, Chico State
SS - Garrett Tuck, UCSD
OF - Danny Susdorf, UCSD
OF - Jordan Hanley (Las Vegas. NV/Bonanza), Dixie State
OF - Ian McKay, Chico State
UT - Myles Dempsey, Chico State
P - Sean Martin, Chico State
P - Sam Friend (Las Vegas, NV/Centennial), Dixie State
MVP - Myles Dempsey, Chico State

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