(Monday's Postgame Press Conference)

Despite a furious late rally over the final four innings of play, No. 10 Dixie State saw its road to the 2017 NCAA Division II College World Series end Monday afternoon with an 8-6 loss to No. 14 UC San Diego in the championship game of the NCAA West Regional tournament at Azusa Pacific's Cougar Baseball Complex. With the loss, the Trailblazers end their season with a 39-14-1 overall record, while UCSD (40-17) advances on as the West region champion to the NCAA DII CWS, which begins later this week in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Dixie State had opportunities in the early going to put pressure on UCSD, which needed just one to claim the region crown, but the Trailblazers could not get a key hit in stranding five base runners through the first three innings.

The Tritons, who themselves could not cash in lead off walks in each of the first two innings, turned a free pass to start the third inning into three runs to race out to a 3-0 lead. Brandon Shirley got UCSD on the board with a sacrifice fly, while Tyler Durna and Keenan Brigman followed with RBI singles. UCSD struck again in the home fifth as the Tritons loaded the bases on a walk, an error and a hit batter with no outs on its way to three unearned runs to extend to a 6-0 advantage.

DSU finally broke through in the sixth as Logan Porter (Surprise, Ariz./Valley Vista HS) was hit by a pitch and Tyler Mildenberg (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina HS) reached on a one-out error ahead of Miles Bice (Henderson, Nev./Coronado HS), who laced a 1-2 pitch to center field for a two-out, two-run single to cut the deficit to 6-2. The Trailblazers would add another run in the seventh when Drew McLaughlin (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) and Tyler Baker (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman HS) reached on a pair of one-out singles in front of Trey Kamachi (Kapolei, Hawai'i/Kapolei HS), who legged out an infield single to drive in McLaughlin to trim the UCSD lead to 6-3.

After DSU reliever Trevor Sanders (Cedar City, Utah/Cedar HS) retired the UCSD side in order in the bottom of the seventh, Dixie State continued to chip away at the deficit in the eighth as Reece Lucero (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS) pulled DSU to within 6-4 with a run scoring groundout.

However UCSD had other ideas in the home half of the eighth as Shirley provided his side with two big insurance runs on a home run into the netting in left field to push the Triton advantage to 8-4.

Dixie State mounted one last charge in the ninth, which started with a one-out Tyler Baker (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman HS) single and a Kamachi double down the left field line. With two outs and the season in the balance, Mildenberg connected for a single to right field to drive in both in both base runners to make a two-run game. Hill II followed that with an infield and both he and Mildenberg advanced into scoring position thanks to a Triton throwing error on the play.

Bice then came to the plate carrying the potential go-ahead run, but UCSD pitcher Troy Cruz got the senior outfielder to line out to center field to end the game and tournament.

DSU lost despite outhitting UCSD by an 11-8 count, led by Kamachi who went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored, while Bice and Mildenberg each finished with two hits and two RBI. Sophomore starter Preston Hannay (Murray, Utah/Murray HS) (L, 3-3) suffered the loss after allowing three runs on two hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts in 2.1 innings pitched.

GAME NOTES: DSU's Reece Lucero (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS), Bryce Feist (Emmett, Idaho/Rocky Mountain HS) and Tyler Baker (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman HS) were named to the West Region all-tournament team ... Dixie State finished the 2017 season with 39 wins, which is the second-most in program history behind last season's record-breaking 40-win campaign ... DSU advanced to the NCAA West Regional championship round for the second time in six total tournament appearances ... DSU also reached the final round in its first trip in 2012, which resulted in a 7-3 loss to Chico State in the title game ... the last Pacific West Conference team to advance on to the NCAA DII College World Series was former league member Grand Canyon in 2013.