Red Storm split PacWest twinbill with CBU

Yack one hit away from tying DSU hits record

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SAINT GEORGE, Utah – The Dixie State University baseball team handed California Baptist ace Jon Bengard his first loss of the year Friday afternoon with a 12-4 victory in seven innings before the Lancers knocked out 16 hits in the nightcap to earn a Pacific West Conference doubleheader split, 8-5.

The Red Storm (28-15, 20-13 PacWest), ranked fifth in the NCAA West Region rankings, repeated a small bit of history in Friday's first game. Scoring eight runs on eight hits over 4.1 innings, DSU knocked Bengard (9-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten for the second consecutive year. Last season entering his start at Dixie State, the talented right-hander was 10-0, but succumbed to a nine-walk performance.

Friday, Bengard struck out six but a pair of second inning errors from the Lancers (30-15, 23-8 PacWest) allowed the Storm to lead 2-0 after a Mitch Manning (Kaysville, UT/Davis) sacrifice fly.

Dixie State expanded the lead to 6-0 in the third inning. Kevin Kline (Las Vegas, NV/Rancho) singled home Ryan Wescott (Glendale, AZ/Cactus), who made the start in center field. Cedric Johnson (Thatcher, AZ/Thatcher), with two men aboard, slugged his fourth home run of the year to left-center.

CBU would close with two runs after plating a pair in the fourth and fifth, but the Storm had one more offensive explosion beginning in the home half of the fifth inning. Kline and Johnson singled to lead off the frame. Mitch Manning (Kaysville, UT/Davis) followed with a walk to load the bases. With one down, Yuto Kata (Chiba, Japan/Juan Diego (Utah)) grounded a ball tailor made for an inning-ending double play, but an error on CBU second baseman Antonio Chavarria plated a run and kept the inning alive. Tyler Slesk (Bellingham, WA/Meridian) lined an RBI single and Jordan Hanley (Las Vegas. NV/Bonanza) drew a walk with the bases loaded. Colton Yack (South Jordan, UT/Bingham) provided the exclamation mark on the six-run rally with a single up the middle, scoring two.

The offense aided Austin Christiansen (Las Vegas, NV/Legacy (NV)) to his sixth win despite allowing four runs on seven hits. Bryce Anderson (Cedar City, UT/Cedar HS) struck out two over the final two scoreless CBU innings.

Johnson led the Dixie State offense with three hits. Yack, Kline and Kris Kaplan (Las Vegas, NV/Cimarron Memorial) each added two hits.

The nightcap saw a flipping of the offensive script with the Lancers finding early offense against Kody Christoffersen (Ogden, UT/Weber). Previously unbeaten in nine games, including five starts, Christoffersen (L, 5-1) surrendered four runs on seven hits in three innings.

CBU led 7-0 before the Red Storm began to find hits against Adam Hofacket and the CBU bullpen. DSU loaded the bases on a Slesk single and walks to Kata and Hanley. Erik Salcido entered and made his first move with a throw to first base. The only issue – CBU had no one covering the base. Two runs scored while Hanley moved to third. Yack took Salcido's first official pitch and bunted his way aboard with an RBI single, cutting the Lancer advantage to 7-3.

DSU pulled within three in the next frame with Johnson scoring from third on a balk. California Baptist plated an insurance run in the top of the seventh, but Dixie State had a shot late. Kline plated Hanley with an RBI single and brought a couple of chances with the potential tying run at the plate. Matt Daugherty took the mound duties and induced a game-ending double play to earn his fourth save.

Johnson and Slesk had two hits each as the Storm was nearly doubled up in the hit column, 16 to nine.

California Baptist and Dixie State will close out the conference series on Saturday at 11 a.m. After the game, the Red Storm family will honor the 14 players suiting up for the final time at Bruce Hurst Field.

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