Dixie State pushed its winning streak to a season-high seven games as the Trailblazers took both ends of a Friday doubleheader from Northern Colorado, 11-2 in seven innings and 6-3, at Bruce Hurst Field. With the Friday sweep, DSU improved to 22-30 overall, 20-15 in WAC play.

Junior righthander Jimmy Borzone (W, 3-5) struck out a career-high 14 on his way to his second complete game victory of the season in the first game. The 14 strikeouts were also the second-highest single game total in Dixie State's NCAA era and were one off the school record of 15 set by Mike Dedrick in a 9-2 road win at Academy of Art (2/26/11) during the 2011 season.

After escaping a first-inning jam, Borzone breezed through his next five innings, limiting the Bears (11-35/7-23 WAC) to just four hits and recording 11 of his 14 Ks over that stretch.

Meanwhile, the Trailblazer offense scored all 11 of its runs in the first five frames, plating a single run on a Cade Spurlin hit in the first before erupting for four runs in the third. Kaden Hollow drove in two of those runs with a ringing double to the gap in left center.

Then on the very next pitch from UNC hurler Sam Leach (L, 3-7), Tyson Fisher homered for the third time in as many games to stake the Blazers to a 5-0 lead. For Fisher, it was his eighth round-tripper of the season.

DSU would tack on two runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth, thanks in part to four Bear walks and a hit batter, as the Trailblazers sent nine hitters to the plate.

Northern Colorado would spoil Borzone's bid for a shutout in the seventh with two two-out runs, but the junior rebounded from there to fan Quinn Ayers to end the game.

Dixie State rapped out eight hits in the first game, with lead-off hitter Shane Taylor collecting two of those safeties to go with two RBI.

DSU spotted Northern Colorado a 3-1 lead after two complete in the nightcap, but the Blazers wrestled that lead away in grand fashion in the home fourth.

With the bases loaded and one out in the frame, senior first baseman Jake Engel tied Dixie State's program record with his 31^st-career home run, a towering grand slam that easily cleared the left field wall to give DSU a 5-3 cushion. 

The blast was Engel's ninth of the season, tying him for the team lead, while it was his first collegiate grand slam and the third slam by a Trailblazer slugger this season.

Freshman starter Brett Porthan (W, 2-0) settled in after the second inning, retiring 10 of the next 12 Bears he faced before being lifted with one out in the sixth. Three relievers then combined to limit UNC the just four hits the rest of the way, while Jagun Leavitt drove in a big insurance run in the bottom of the eighth to pad the lead.

Senior closer Brayden Bonner (S, 7) worked out a two-out jam in the ninth to wrap up the Friday sweep and secured the overall series win.

Engel and Leavitt each finished with two hits to lead the Blazer offense, while Engel's (144 RBI) slam moved him to within four of also becoming DSU's career RBI leader.

Dixie State will close out the home portion of its 2021 NCAA Division I debut season and play for a series sweep on Senior Day Saturday beginning at 12:05 p.m.