Storm open home schedule with DH sweep

No. 24 DSU beats MSU-Billings twice Friday

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Tweet #DixieBase

ST. GEORGE – In its first games as a nationally-ranked team, Dixie State University backed up solid pitching performances with a barrage of hits to sweep the first two games of a four-game series with Montana State Billings, 8-4 (7) and 5-1 (7), Friday at Bruce Hurst Field.

The 24^th-ranked Red Storm had 15 hits in the first game and added six more in the nightcap to improve its season record to 5-1. MSUB dropped its fourth and fifth games in a row, respectively, to fall to 2-9-1 on the year.

In game one, Yuto Kata (Chiba, Japan/Juan Diego (Utah)) blooped a single into shallow left field in the second inning capping a two-out rally for a 1-0 lead.

MSUB took its only lead with a two-run home run by Drew Fosnes in the second.

DSU responded in the bottom of the inning with a trio of doubles. Jordan Hanley (Las Vegas. NV/Bonanza) led of the inning with a line drive off the top of the wall in left field. With two outs, back-to-back RBI hits from Kris Kaplan (Las Vegas, NV/Cimarron Memorial) and Cedric Johnson (Thatcher, AZ/Thatcher) pushed the Storm ahead 3-2.

Mike Dedrick (Cedar City, UT/Canyon View) kept the Yellowjackets off the scoreboard until the seventh frame. The senior starter earned his first win of the year scattering four runs on seven hits over 6.1 innings. He struck out six before falling two outs shy of a complete game. Cody White (Lacey, WA/Timberline) recorded the final two outs in relief.

Dixie State added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Johnson added his second RBI with a single down the right field line. Colton Yack (South Jordan, UT/Bingham) plated Kaplan with a sacrifice fly and #D.J. Andrade# singled home Johnson.

The following frame saw Garrett Nash (Draper, UT/Jordan) score from second base on a Hanley bunt single and MSUB error. Kevin Kline (Las Vegas, NV/Rancho) brought in the final run with a sac fly, scoring Hanley.

In the nightcap, Sam Friend (Las Vegas, NV/Centennial) tossed his second quality start of the year while the DSU offense produced enough offense through timely hits and small ball.

Friend (2-0) struck out six batters in six innings while allowing an earned run on four hits.

The Storm struck in the third inning after Kata drew a one-out walk. A Nash single moved Kata to third, allowing Hanley's fly ball to left center to score Kata for a 1-0 lead.

In the next inning, Kaplan and C. Johnson both singled and advanced into scoring position on a Ty Johnson (Thousand Oaks, CA/Millennium) sacrifice bunt that set precedent for the next two batters. Yack executed a suicide squeeze and beat out the throw for an RBI hit. Andrade followed with another bunt and reached on a fielding error that pushed across C. Johnson. Nash completed the scoring with an RBI hit.

Ryan Wescott (Glendale, AZ/Cactus), as a pinch hitter in the sixth, plated DSU's fifth run with a sac fly, scoring Andrade.

Kort Christofferson retired the side in order in the seventh.

The two teams meet in game three of the weekend series beginning Saturday at 11am. Senior right-hander Bryce Anderson (Cedar City, UT/Cedar HS) is expected to take the hill for Dixie State.

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