Dixie State came away with a Friday split of a doubleheader played against two different opponents on a marathon day of baseball at Bruce Hurst Field. The Trailblazers dropped the opening game of the twin bill to Northwest Nazarene, 6-5, before rallying for a 10-6 triumph over Cal State LA in the nightcap.

After spotting NNU (1-1) a first-inning run, the Trailblazers (5-2) came back with two runs in the third and another in the fourth to bolt to a 3-1 lead. Bryce Feist got DSU on the board with a clutch two-out RBI single, then Jake Engel drove in the Blazers' second run two batters later.

DSU would load the bases in the fourth on three-consecutive walks, but only came away with one run, which came on a Jagun Leavitt infield single. NNU would escape without further damage when Tyler Hollow lined into a double play and Feist was retired to end the threat.

Meanwhile, junior righthander Preston Hannay, who was pitching for the first time since the 2017 season, had it going as he struck out four and retired 13-straight Nighthawk batters after giving up that first inning run. Hannay (ND) was lifted after five innings with the two-run cushion, but unfortunately the Trailblazer bullpen could not hold on to the lead as NNU rallied for single runs in the sixth and seventh before erupting for three runs in the eighth en route to a 6-3 lead.

Dixie State cut the deficit to 6-4 in the home half of the eighth with a Hollow RBI-single and took advantage of two Nighthawk errors in the ninth to pull to within 6-5 with runners on the corners and two outs. However NNU reliever Greg Casper (W, 1-0) managed to retired Alec Flemetakis on strikes to end the DSU rally and the game.

Dixie State lost despite outhitting NNU 11-6, but could not get the big hit late as the Trailblazers stranded seven runners on the base paths from the sixth inning on. Engel and Leavitt paced DSU offensively with three hits apiece.

In game two vs. CSULA, the Trailblazers struck for three second-inning runs to race out to an early 3-0 lead. DSU loaded the bases with one out and cashed in the chance with consecutive one-out RBI singles from Flemetakis and Leavitt, while Hollow drove in another run on a ground out.

The Golden Eagles (0-1) quickly answered with one run in the third before plating four more runs in the fourth to chase DSU starter Jack Gonzales (ND) and vault to a 5-3 advantage. CSULA pounded out three hits in the frame, which included a two-run Jesse Burke single after he outlasted Gonzales in an 11-pitch at bat, while Nate Alam chased Burke home one batter later with a triple down the right field line.

Dixie State counter punched in the home half of the fourth when Tyson Fisher rapped a sharp single to center ahead of Cade Spurlin, who turned around a Saxon Andross 2-1 offering for a towering two-run home run to right field to draw the Blazers even at 5-5.

Then after surrendering a Golden Eagle run in the fifth, Dixie State struck for three more runs in the home fifth, highlighted by Engel's third homer of the season, a two-run shot to left field. Spurlin followed with his third RBI of the game two batters later with an infield single that plated a hustling Fisher all the way from second base.

DSU then tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the eighth, while the Blazer bullpen limited CSULA to just two hits and one unearned run from the fifth inning on to clinch the split.

Fisher and Spurlin each finished with three safeties as DSU outhit CSULA 12-7. Junior reliever Colton Harris (W, 1-0) scattered one hit and one walk over 2.1 scoreless innings of work to pick up his first win in a Trailblazer uniform, while senior righthander Chandler Greenfield (S,1) pitched two scoreless innings with a strikeout to earn the save.

Dixie State will close out the weekend with a Saturday date vs. Cal State LA at 3:30 p.m.