No. 29/16 Dixie State posted a split of the middle two games of its RMAC series at New Mexico Highlands on Saturday afternoon at Brandt Field. DSU could not protect an early lead in dropping the first of two seven-inning games, 4-3, but managed to bounce back in the big way with a 12-1 triumph in the nightcap to break through in the series.

The Trailblazers (19-6/9-2 RMAC) struck for two quick runs on their way to a 2-0 lead through three innings. Kaid Urban got DSU on the board with a two-out RBI-double in the first and Jake Engel drove in another run with two outs in the third.

NMHU did not take long to erase the Dixie lead as the Cowboys (9-14/2-9 RMAC) loaded the bases against Blazer ace Jayden Murray in the home half of the frame with a lead-off hit, followed by a one-out walk and hit batter. Then with two outs in the stanza, Jared Brown drove a Murray offering over the right field wall to clear the bases and give the Cowboys a 4-2 advantage.

Dixie State threatened in the fourth as Urban singled and Tyson Fisher doubled to lead off the inning. However the Trailblazers managed just one run, which came on a Tyler Hollow sacrifice fly that cut the deficit in half at 4-3.

DSU had its chances to tie or take the lead with base runners over the next two innings, but the Cowboy bullpen managed to escape both jams. NMHU reliever Carl Shonrock (S, 1) then pitched a scoreless seventh to close out the game.

The Trailblazers lost the opener despite outhitting the Cowboys 9-7, with Urban, Bryce Feist and Lane Pritchard collecting two hits apiece. Murray (L, 5-2) struck out seven though he was touched up for four runs and five hits in four innings of work.

In the nightcap, Dixie State bolted out to a commanding 6-1 lead after three complete. The Blazers got a run in the first on a balk and tacked on three more runs in the second thanks to Braxton Ipson's third home run of the season. Hollow and Urban both drew walks ahead of Ipson, who pulled a 2-2 Cody McGaha (L, 0-1) offering over the wall in right field to clear the bases.

After NMHU tallied a run in the home second, DSU answered with two more runs in the third, starting with Engel's team-leading ninth home run of the year that led off the stanza. Urban would follow that up with an RBI-single later in the inning to extend the Trailblazer lead to five runs.

The early run support bolstered a strong outing from sophomore lefthander Jack Gonzales (W, 5-0), who struck out a career-high eight and limited the Cowboys to just four hits (all singles) and one run over six solid innings as he won for the fifth time in six starts.

Dixie State tacked on six more runs for good measure over the final three innings as Feist drove in a run on a bases-loaded single in the fifth, while Fisher and Urban collected an RBI in the sixth. Then in the seventh, Pritchard double in DSU's 10^th run of the game, which was followed by a two-run Hollow two-bagger three batters later.

The Trailblazers will look to salvage a split of the four-game set in Sunday's finale beginning at 12 noon.