Dixie State snapped its season-long five-game losing streak with a convincing 8-2 Pacific West Conference series-opening victory over Holy Names on a rainy Thursday afternoon at the College of Alameda.

After surrendering a pair of unearned runs to the Hawks in the second inning, the Trailblazers (7-16/3-10 PacWest) took the lead for good in the fourth on the strength of a Jake Engel (Tucson, Ariz./Ironwood HS) three-run home run. Bryce Feist (Emmett, Idaho/Rocky Mountain HS) reached on an error to lead off the frame and Logan Porter (Surprise, Ariz./Valley Vista HS) drew a walk ahead of Engel, who drove a 1-2 Aiden McIntyre (L, 0-4) offering deep over the wall in left field to spot DSU a 3-1 lead.

Dixie State then broke the game open with three more runs in the seventh thanks to a Joe Raymond (Foresthill, Calif./Del Oro HS) pinch-hit RBI-single to left center and a pair of HNU (5-13/1-8 PacWest) wild pitches. DSU then took advantage of two more Hawk miscues in the ninth to plate two more runs on RBIs from Feist and Porter.

The run support was more than enough for the Trailblazer pitching staff as three hurlers combined to fan 11 Hawk hitters while holding HNU to those two unearned runs and six total hits. Junior righthander Chandler Greenfield (Twin Falls, Idaho/Twin Falls HS) (W, 1-0) picked up his first win of the year after he struck out a career-high seven in 5.2 innings of hitless relief to close out the game.

The two teams will continue their four-game series with a Friday doubleheader beginning at 12 noon (PT).