Dixie State opened the Pacific West Conference portion of its 2017 schedule with a split of a Saturday doubleheader with Holy Names at Bruce Hurst Field. The Trailblazers (12-4/1-1 PacWest) got seven solid innings from junior starter Dylan File (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) in taking the opener, 9-2, while a late DSU rally came up short as the Hawks (4-11/1-1 PacWest) escaped with a split in a game-two slug fest, 12-9.

In game one, the Trailblazers led 4-0 after the first two innings as DSU manufactured a pair of first inning runs, and plated two more in the second thanks to consecutive RBI-hits from Drew McLaughlin (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) and Tyler Mildenberg (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina HS). After HNU broke through with a run in the third, Dixie State tacked on three more runs in the home half of the frame, with the big blow coming off the bat of Jake Davison (Taylorsville, Utah/Taylorsville HS), who drilled a two-run home run to left field to cap the rally.

Mildenberg, who went 4-for-4 at the plate in the opener, struck again with a one-out solo homer to right field to extend the DSU advantage to 7-1. The run support was more than enough for File (W, 3-0), who retired 13-straight batters from the fourth inning on, seven of which on strikes, including striking out the side in the fifth inning. File, who won his third-straight start overall, finished with nine strikeouts and scattered three hits and one run.

DSU outhit Holy Names 12-6 in game one, including a 3-for-4 outing for McLaughlin with two doubles, while Davison and Bryce Feist (Emmett, Idaho/Rocky Mountain HS) each finished with two hits. Dixie State touched up HNU ace Aiden McIntyre (L, 1-2) for eight runs and 12 hits over his seven innings of work.

Holy Names took an early 1-0 lead in the nightcap thanks to an Alex Denobriga RBI-single to right field. Dixie State got that run back and more in the third when Logan Porter (Surprise, Ariz./Valley Vista HS) cashed in a Mildenberg walk and a Trey Kamachi (Kapolei, Hawai'i/Kapolei HS) base hit with a three-run blast to left field to stake the Trailblazers to a 3-1 lead.

The Hawks answered with three runs of their own in the fourth and after both teams plated single runs in the fifth, HNU erupted for four runs in the sixth to bolt out to a 9-4 advantage. Holy Names connected for two homers in the rally, including a three-run home run from Paul Kennedy and a solo shot from Nick Snyder.

HNU tacked on two more runs in the seventh, but the Trailblazers countered with four runs after the stretch thanks to a two-run double from Porter which was sandwiched around a bases load walk to Kamachi and an RBI-ground out by Feist, which drew DSU to within 11-8.

After Holy Names added an insurance run in the ninth to make a 12-8, DSU brought the tying run to the plate with one out and without benefit of a base hit. Kamachi and Porter were both hit on consecutive pitches, while Miles Bice (Henderson, Nev./Coronado HS) reached on a walk after a nine-pitch at-bat to load the bases.

HNU reliever Kyle Scott (S, 1) then induced a Feist foul out and following a Davison walk which forced in a run to make it a three-run deficit, Scott got Reece Lucero (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS) to fly out to left field to end the game.

Porter finished with a career-high five RBI as part of a 3-for-4 effort with three extra base hits, while Kamachi, who saw his 13-game hitting streak halted in the opener, came back with two hits with three runs scored in the nightcap. Junior southpaw Matt Mosca (Las Vegas, Nev./Cimarron Memorial HS) (L, 3-1) struck out four, though he surrendered four earned runs (five total) and nine hits in 4.2 innings to suffer his first loss of the season.

Holy Names finished with 15 hits, including three safeties for Ryan Paniagua. Gunnar David (W, 1-3) picked up his first win of the year, however he was touched up for seven runs on five hits and five walks in six innings of work, while Scott pitched the final three innings to earn the save.

Dixie State and Holy Names will wrap up their four-game series with another doubleheader Sunday at Bruce Hurst Field beginning at 12 noon.