Power surge aids sweep of Cougars

DSU slams five homers

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AZUSA, Calif. – Entering Friday's series opening doubleheader at Azusa Pacific, Dixie State baseball had four home runs as a team. The Red Storm's power game stepped up in Pacific West Conference play at the Cougar Baseball Complex.

Sophomore infielder Kevin Kline (Las Vegas, NV/Rancho) and senior outfielder Garrett Nash (Draper, UT/Jordan) each had a pair of home runs while Mitch Manning (Kaysville, UT/Davis) added a solo blast to lead Dixie State to a pair of conference road victories over the Cougars, 12-8 and 7-1.

Dixie State has won eight of its last nine contests to improve to 19-7 on the year and 12-6 in the PacWest. The losses dropped Azusa Pacific to 8-20 overall, 6-12 in the league just days after securing the program's first PacWest series win over the Vulcans of Hawai'i Hilo.

Nash began the Storm power surge taking the second pitch if the series opener not only over the wall in left field, but towering over the nearly 50-foot barrier net protecting buildings near the ballpark for a 1-0 lead. A Cougar solo blast in the first tied the game and three unearned runs off Mike Dedrick (Cedar City, UT/Canyon View) pushed Azusa Pacific ahead 4-1 after two innings.

It was Nash going yard again to start a five-run frame in the Storm third inning. Colton Yack (South Jordan, UT/Bingham) added a bunt single and Jordan Hanley (Las Vegas. NV/Bonanza) walked. Kline swatted the first of three consecutive RBI singles cutting the APU lead to 4-3. Manning gave Dixie State the lead with a two-run triple to center field pushing home Hanley and Kline. Ryan Wescott (Glendale, AZ/Cactus) added an RBI sacrifice lineout to cap off the 6-4 Storm lead.

Dixie State added tallies in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to open up a 10-4 lead. Azusa closed to 10-7 before Kline blasted a two-run homer to add some insurance.

Dedrick scattered seven runs, four earned, over 6.2 innings to earn his fifth victory. Josh Mooney (American Fork, UT/American Fork) entered with the bases loaded for APU in the ninth and retired his lone battle for a save, his fourth.

The Storm outhit Azusa Pacific 14 to 13 in the opener and survived three defensive errors.

Friend took control of the nightcap. He improved to 5-1 on the year allowing one earned run on five hits over seven frames. The performance provided a nice bounce back after a wild winning performance last week against Academy of Art.

Yack plated Nash early in the first and Kris Kaplan (Las Vegas, NV/Cimarron Memorial) drew a bases loaded walk for a 2-0 lead. Friend worked out of a jam by stranding a pair of Cougar runner in scoring position in the bottom of the first.

The lead increased to 4-0 on a Nash RBI groundout scoring Ty Johnson (Thousand Oaks, CA/Millennium) and a suicide squeeze bunt scoring Yuto Kata (Chiba, Japan/Juan Diego (Utah)) by Yack. Hanley walked and battled through numerous pick off throws to first before swiping second base. Kline worked the count to 3-1 and blasted the offering from APU starter Caleb Badder deep to left center field.

Kaplan added an RBI single two innings later.

DSU bested the hit battle seven to five.

The teams duel in a doubleheader Saturday to close out the series. Starting the games for Dixie State is expected to be Austin Christiansen (Las Vegas, NV/Legacy (NV)) and Kody Christoffersen (Ogden, UT/Weber).

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