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ST. GEORGE -- The Dixie State University softball team won its 16th game in a row with a 7-1 and a run-rule 9-1 win over BYU-Hawaii on Tuesday afternoon at Karl Brooks Field on Senior Night.

Prior to the first game of the doubleheader, head coach Randy Simkins and his staff honored seniors Mattie Snow (Tooele, UT/Tooele High School) and Brooke Budge (Springville, UT/Springville High School). Snow a four year starting pitcher who has 34 career wins and is 8th on the career-ERA list at 2.84. Budge a transfer from Salt Lake CC who saw limited time as a junior is hitting .346 her senior year and has started all but one game for the Red Storm.

The Red Storm (39-8/23-5 PWC) sweep the Seasiders (10-18/6-16 PWC) and maintain a tie with No. 20 California Baptist for the top spot in the Pacific West Conference standings. On Wednesday the first NCAA West Regional Rankings are released and Dixie State has made quite a statement to return to the postseason for its sixth straight year and hosting for the third time. No. 2 Cal St. Monterey Bay, No. 8 Humboldt State, No. 15 UC San Diego, and CBU all look to get in the way of the Red Storm's hosting privileges. The first poll will be released in the afternoon on Wednesday.

In the opener, Simkins turned to the senior Snow to make her 59th career start. She pitched four shutout innings, allowing just one hit but walked three batters including the leadoff batter in the top of the fifth inning in a 0-0 game when Aryn Feickert (Lancaster, CA/Highland ) came in and shut the door on the Seasider rally and securing a no decision for Snow.

Budge led off the bottom half of the fifth with a single to left field and Hartman moved her into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Bailee Freeland (Ogden, UT/Bonneville High School) doubled over the left fielder's head to give DSU a 1-0 lead. After a Courtney Hine (San Dimas, CA/San Dimas High School) walk, Courtney Sherwin (Mesa, AZ/Red Mountain High School) doubled to left field for a two RBI and gave Feickert and the Storm a 3-0 lead.

After a BYUH leadoff single to left center, Feickert induced the third DSU double play of the game to shut down their rally.

The Red Storm added four more runs in the sixth, Hartman hit an RBI triple and Nicole Chavez (Chino Hills, CA/Ayala High School) hit her 10th home run of the season, this time a three run shot over the left field fence that extended her hitting streak to 22 consecutive games.

In three innings of work, Feickert allowed just one hit, but hit two batters and walked two batters including a bases loaded walk in the seventh inning. 

In the second game, BYU Hawaii struck first after a hit by pitch, sacrifice bunt and a single to right gave BYUH their first lead of the series at 1-0.

The Red Storm battled back and tied the game at 1-1 when a pair of doubles knotted things up. Sherwin's was to left center and Mallory Paulson (Fruita, CO/Fruita Monument) hit hers to right center.

DSU took the lead for good in the second inning on an RBI single from Freeleand.

Three more DSU runs crossed in the third after a single to left from Hine, followed by an RBI triple from Sherwin just inside the right field foul line squibbed past the right fielder and she raced home on a throwing error. 

Paulson hit her second double of the game down the left field line and Marla Reiter (Rolinda, CA/Central High School) hit and RBI single up the middle that gave DSU a 5-1 lead. 

An uneventful fourth for both teams as far as runs are concerned, but a Chavez triple to right center extended her hitting streak to a DSU best 23 games.

Mallory Paulson (Fruita, CO/Fruita Monument) and Josey Hartman (Mapleton, UT/Maple Mountain) bookended the fifth inning of with impressive home runs, and for both players, it was their first home run of the season. Paulson's moon shot traveled 70 feet past the field fence and Hartman's blast invoked the mercy rule, giving her a walk-off home run.
 

Paulson led with three hits and Sherwin added two. Starter Michelle Duncan (Gilbert, AZ/Gilbert High School) allowed the one blemish in the first inning to improve to 12-1 on the season. She also struck out six BYUH batters.

Dixie State travels to Southern Utah for a single game at 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.