PEORIA, Ariz. – Starting pitcher Mike Dedrick (Cedar City, UT/Canyon View) threw four scoreless innings while the Red Storm pounded out 17 hits defeating the Chinese National Baseball Team for a second consecutive day, 13-2, at the Mariners Spring Training Complex in Arizona.
Dixie State improves to 5-1 on the year after three times in the third, two more times in the fifth, and blowing open the game with seven runs in the eighth.
Dedrick fanned three and allowed just three hits to earn his first win of the year. Sam Friend (Las Vegas, NV/Centennial) surrended the only China runs over two innings while Bryce Anderson (Cedar City, UT/Cedar HS) and Brady Pierce (Salem Hills, UT/Salem Hills) combined to close out the final three scoreless frames.
After two scoreless frames to open the game, Dixie State put a pair aboard on consecutive singles. Senior catcher Mitch Manning (Kaysville, UT/Davis) took the first pitch he saw from Yang Haifan over the wall in right field for his first home run of the year.
Manning added another RBI with a single scoring Garrett Nash (Draper, UT/Jordan). With two outs, Kris Kaplan (Las Vegas, NV/Cimarron Memorial) doubled to center pushing Manning across for a 5-0 lead.
China pushed across two in the sixth before DSC scored seven times – all with two outs - on five hits in the eighth. Pinch hitter Matt Medina (Tooele, UT/Tooele) found the gap in left center to plate #D.J. Andrade and (Scottsdale, AZ/Desert Mountain)Yuto Kata#. Ryan Westcott to left pushing home another tally. After the bags loaded, Bryson Kenolio (Mililani, HI/Kamehameha Schools) fought off a 0-2 count and emptied the bags with a triple to center field. Kaplan followed with an RBI double down the left field line to cap the seven-run frame.
Dixie State pitching scattered just six hits and combined for seven strikeouts.
The Red Storm return to Bruce Hurst Field for their home opener on Friday, Feb. 22, at 4 p.m. against Montana State Billings. First pitch of the West Region doubleheader is scheduled for 4 p.m. with coverage on Dixie State All Access online.
