On a when senior hurler Jayden Murray became Dixie State's single season strikeout leader, the Trailblazers opened its final home series of the 2019 regular season with a resounding 12-4 victory over Colorado Christian Friday night at Bruce Hurst Field. The victory, DSU's fifth over its last six games overall, moved the Trailblazers to 29-14 overall, 19-10 in RMAC play.

Dixie State pounced on the Cougars from the get-go as the first eight Trailblazer batters reached as part of an eight-run, six-hit start to bolt to a commanding lead. Tyler Hollow led off the game with a double and would quickly scamper home three pitches later on a Lane Pritchard single up the middle.

Tyson Fisher then drew a walk and Cade Spurlin legged out a bunt single to third to load the bases ahead of Jake Engel, who drew a free pass to force the game's second run in. Wyatt Branch followed with a double to the gap in left center to drive in two more runs to spot his side a 4-0 lead. Following a Kade Urban RBI-bunt hit and a Braxton Ipson walk, the three Blazer baserunners then pulled off a triple steal, with Branch beating the pitch to plate to provide a six-run cushion.

Hollow and Pritchard would each collect RBI later in the frame as Dixie State wound up sending 12 batters to the plate in that opening stanza. DSU would tack on single runs in each of the next three innings, including a Pritchard solo home run (7) in the third, while Hollow connected for his second homer of the season in the home seventh.

The run support was more than enough for Murray (W, 9-2), who faced just two batters over the minimum and surrendered just three hits through his first six scoreless innings of work, thanks in part to a pair of double plays turned in by the Blazer defense in the third and fifth frames.

After the Cougars (12-30, 7-22 RMAC) spoiled Murray's shutout bid with two runs in the seventh, the senior struck out his sixth batter of the game to begin the eighth break DSU's single season strikeout record with his 78^th punchout of the season. Murray, who was making his final career regular season home start, moved passed former DSU hurler Justin Prodan, who set the record with 77 strikeouts back in the 2010 season.

Dixie State finished with 15 hits on the night, with Urban going a perfect 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI, while Hollow collected three hits with two runs driven in, and Pritchard tallied two safeties and three RBI. Murray scattered six hits and two runs in seven-plus innings to win for the ninth time this season, which pulled him into a tie for second place on DSU's single-season wins list (9, Mason Hilty, 2017).

The two teams will continue their four-game series with a pair of seven-inning games on Saturday afternoon beginning 2 p.m.