Storm earn split despite offensive struggles

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SAINT GEORGE, Utah – Over two games Friday at Bruce Hurst Field, the Dixie State baseball offense tallied just six hits while Holy Names combined for 17. Despite the discrepancy, the home team split a pair of seven-inning games with the Hawks – winning 4-3 in the afternoon before dropping the nightcap, 3-2.

Dixie State sits at 22-9 overall, 15-8 in Pacific West Conference play after the split. Holy Names (10-23, 7-14 PWC) broke a nine-game losing streak with the nightcap victory.

Austin Christiansen (Las Vegas, NV/Legacy (NV)) bounced back from his first loss of the year last weekend to toss three run ball over 5.2 innings for the win (5-1) in Friday's first game. Josh Mooney (American Fork, UT/American Fork) allowed one hit in relief for his sixth save.

DSU scored two runs without a base hit in the second inning. A walk, a hit batter and an error loaded the bags. #DJ Andrade# beat out a double play ball and when an errant relay throw from second bounced past the first baseman, two Storm runs scored on the play. Colton Yack (South Jordan, UT/Bingham) would score the third run scampering in from third while Mitch Manning (Kaysville, UT/Davis) got caught in a rundown.

Andrade would be responsible for bringing in the go-ahead run in the fourth after Ryan Wescott (Glendale, AZ/Cactus) got to third after a single, a stolen base and a groundout. The DSU shortstop lined out deep to right-center, allowing Wescott to tag from third to score.

The Hawks had a tying run at third base with one out in the sixth, but Christiansen and Mooney recorded the final two outs with a bouncer to first and a strikeout to stymie the threat.

Zach Korte took the loss in a complete game effort for HNU.

In the nightcap, Dixie State struggled to get any offensive flow against HNU southpaw Jayce Banister. He seemed unhittable until the final inning.

Down 3-0, DSU began a final push with a walk to Ty Johnson (Thousand Oaks, CA/Millennium) and a double by Andrade, moving pinch runner Quinn Boyer (Ogden, UT/Bonneville HS) to third. The lead trimmed down to a run on an RBI groundout by Yuto Kata (Chiba, Japan/Juan Diego (Utah)) and a sacrifice fly from Garrett Nash (Draper, UT/Jordan). Yack battled with a 10-pitch at bat, but flied out to end the game.

Bryce Anderson (Cedar City, UT/Cedar HS) tossed all seven frames for DSU. He allowed three runs, one earned, on seven hits while striking out three. Although a quality start, Anderson fell to 1-4 on the year.

The series finale is set for Saturday, with first pitch at 11 a.m. from Bruce Hurst Field.

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