Box Score LA JOLLA, Calif. – In a cruel bit of baseball irony, the top two teams in the Pacific West Conference regular season met Saturday afternoon at Triton Ballpark in an NCAA West Region elimination game. With seasons on the line, California Baptist struck early with a first inning home run and bested Dixie State, 5-2, to keep the Lancers' hopes at a Region title while eliminating the Red Storm from the tournament.
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Dixie State saw its most winning Division II season end with a 36-17 record, besting the 35-win mark set by the 2012 team. In the season finale, the Red Storm outhit their opponent nine to seven. It was a lack of stringing hits together that doomed DSU.
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Bronson Anderson (Lehi, UT/Lehi) got the call on the mound for Dixie State after he posted a solid outing in February against the Lancers in league play. It looked like he was going to get out of the opening inning unscathed, until an error and a single brought up CBU's Antonio Chavarria. With a 1-1 count, Chavarria blasted a line drive inside the right field foul pole to hang three unearned runs in the opening frame.
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The Lancers would add two more runs with an RBI double in the third and RBI triple in the fourth. Anderson (2-3) left after four innings of five run (two earned), six-hit baseball.
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Senior pitcher Kody Christoffersen (Ogden, UT/Weber) shined in five innings of relief, keeping a potent CBU offense at bay. He allowed two base runners, a single and a walk, while striking out two in his final collegiate appearance.
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Dixie State strung together four singles in the fifth inning to plate their runs. Dalton Gust (Riverton, UT/Cottonwood) laced a groundball up the middle scoring Trey Kamachi (Kapolei, HI/Kapolei). Two batters later, a Yuto Kata (Chiba, Japan/Juan Diego (Utah)) grounder to first took a high hop after contacting the bag for a single, plating Ty Johnson (Thousand Oaks, CA/Millennium).
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But with the successes of the fifth inning, the Red Storm stranded opportunities at the tail end of the fifth and in each of the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Kevin Kline (Las Vegas, NV/Rancho) had two chances as the tying run at the plate, in the fifth and seventh respectively, but both fly balls down the right field line were hauled in to end innings. Johnson had the chance in the eighth with runners at first and second, but swung away at strike three.
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In total, DSU left nine men on base.
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CBU starter Tyson Miller tossed eight quality innings for his seventh win and Caleb Dirks retired the Red Storm in order for his eighth save.
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Kamachi shined at the plate for Dixie State with four single. Kata went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
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The season may not have ended in Cary, N.C., but Dixie State concluded 2014 with its third PacWest Championship in six years, nine players named All-PacWest, skipper Chris Pfatenhauer earning Coach of the Year accolades, and five earning All-West Region honors. The Storm will keep on rolling.Â
California Baptist 5, Dixie State 2 (May 17, 2014 at La Jolla, CA)
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California Baptist.. 301 100 000 - 5 7 0 (39-14)
Dixie State......... 000 020 000 - 2 9 1 (36-17)
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Pitchers: California Baptist - Miller, Tyson; Dirks, Caleb(9) and Sanchez, Mark. Dixie State -
Anderson, Bronson; Christoffersen, Kody(5) and Johnson, Ty.
Win-Miller, Tyson(7-1) Save-Dirks, Caleb(8) Loss-Anderson, Bronson(2-3) T-2:05 A-127
HR CBU-BASE - Chavarria, Antonio (5).
Weather: 73 degrees, sunny and warm
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