Baseball 5/2/2014 10:32:00 PM John Potter, Media Relations Assistant

Kline, Blair produce power to lift Dixie State to DH wins

Both have HRs leading DSU to a pair of wins over FPU

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Tweet #DIxieBase

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Kevin Kline (Las Vegas, NV) hit three doubles and homered, Tyler Blair (Henderson, NV) also had multiple extra-base hits, and John Conquy (Las Vegas, NV) tossed another quality outing as Dixie State swept a Pacific West Conference doubleheader over Fresno Pacific at Bruce Hurst Field Friday. The Red Storm ran away with the first game 11-1 and never trailed in the nightcap, 8-4.

DSU improved to 35-14 overall and 26-5 in the PacWest. The Sunbirds fell to 30-18, 18-13 in league, having lost three straight after entering the series with a 10-game winning streak.

The Red Storm exploded for a 5-0 lead after four innings. Kline approached the plate with two on after a pair of walks from FPU starter Drew Munro. On a full count pitch, Kline lifted a shot over the fence in left field for a 3-0 lead. Trey Kamachi (Kapolei, HI) made the lead 4-0 with an RBI single in the second, scoring Dalton Gust (Riverton, UT).

Kamachi struck again in the fourth inning with a single up the middle to plate Drew McLaughlin (Scottsdale, AZ).

Fresno Pacific scored its lone run in the sixth inning. After a double and hit batter, Joshua Banuelos lined a shot into the left field. The lead runner scored easily, but the tail runner was tagged out a home on two great throws from Austin Bartleson (Kennewick, WA) and Gust. The Sunbirds would load the bases, but Conquy induced a sharp grounder to third for a 5-2-3 inning-ending double play.

Dixie State loaded the bags themselves in the bottom half of the sixth. Kamachi earned his third RBI beating out a double play ball. Kline doubled down the left field line, Blair followed with a double off the center field wall, and Kris Kaplan (Las Vegas, NV) ended the scoring with a sacrifice fly.

Bartleson homered with two outs in the seventh, increasing the Storm lead to 10 runs.

Conquy (8-1) did not allow a hit through his first five innings. He picked up the win allowing one run on three hits while striking out four. Senior relievers Bubba Blau (Roy, UT) and Cody White (Lacey, WA) each tossed scoreless frames out of the pen.

Taking the loss for FPU was Munro, who was tagged for five runs on five hits in 3.2 innings, including four walks.

The nightcap began just as the other games in the series have, with Kline striking in the first inning. He doubled into the left center alley scoring two runs. Kline would later reach home on a Kaplan sacrifice fly.

For the rest of the game, every time FPU closed the gap, Dixie State had an answer.

The Sunbirds closed within 3-2 after their half of the third inning. Yuto Kata (Chiba, Japan) came to the plate with the bases loaded and knocked home one run on a fielder's choice. On first, he broke toward second while Blair left third base and successfully stole home to bump the lead back up to three.

Kort Christoffersen (Ogden, UT) worked hard through his start and ran into trouble in the fifth. Without recording an out, FPU loaded the bases. Kevin Dorantes (Las Vegas, NV) inherited the jam and induced two groundballs including a double play to hold the Sunbirds to one run scored.

DSU scored a wild run in the following half inning. Kata led off with a single. Ty Johnson (Thousand Oaks, CA) laid down a bunt to try and sacrifice. When the ball was misplayed, Johnson made it to first while Kata took third after the bag was left unattended. Before time could be called, Kata noticed that the catcher had abandoned home plate, so he sprinted toward home on the tail end of a crazy play.

Blair added his team-leading 10^th homer in the sixth, a bomb to right-center field.

Christoffersen (3-2) earned the win throwing four frames, Dorantes surrendered a solo homer in his two frames, and closer Evan Parker (Ogden, UT) needed only five pitches to retire the side in a non-save situation.

Wilson Ashford lost for only the second time this year allowing five runs on six hits in 3.2 innings. John Koretoff was FPU's leading hitter going 3-for-3 in the nightcap.

The series finale is Saturday, with an 11 a.m. first pitch. Following the game, a ceremony will be held on the Hurst field to honor the seniors of the 2014 Dixie State baseball team – Tyler Blair (Henderson, NV/Green Valley), Bubba Blau (Roy, UT/Roy), Kody Christoffersen (Ogden, UT/Weber), Kort Christoffersen (Ogden, UT/Weber), Matt Hill (Cypress, CA/Pacifica), Ty Johnson (Thousand Oaks, CA/Millennium), Kris Kaplan (Las Vegas, NV/Cimarron Memorial), Taylor Stone (Sierra Vista, AZ/Buena (AZ)) and Cody White (Lacey, WA/Timberline).

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