Dixie State was doomed by a major Utah Valley rally in the middle innings as the Trailblazers came out on the short end of a 12-8 road decision on Friday afternoon at UCCU Ballpark. 
 
The game got off to an inauspicious start for the Trailblazers defensively as they committed three two-out errors in the home first inning that allowed UVU (14-21/7-10 WAC) to plate a run off of DSU starter Brett Porthan, who wound up striking out the side in the frame.
 
Dixie State (14-20/8-9 WAC) picked Porthan up with single runs in both the second and third to take its first lead of the series at 2-1. Landon Levine got the Blazers on the scoreboard in the second when he singled in Tyler Hollow, who reached on a one-out double. Hollow then collected an RBI of his own in the third with a run-scoring hit with two outs in the third.
 
The Trailblazers struck again in the fourth with a two-run Will Chambers double to extend to a 4-1 advantage. After Shane Taylor was intentionally walked with two outs and a runner already on base, Chambers laced an 0-2 Carson Brown offering to the gap left center two bring around both runners.
 
Meanwhile Porthan (L, 5-3) limited the Wolverines to just three hits over his next three innings of work. However UVU would rally with 11 unanswered runs over the next three innings to jump back on top at 12-4 after seven complete.
 
UVU catcher Drew Sims led off the fifth with a solo home run to left field, while the Wolverines got their second run of the stanza on the back end of a double steal to cut the deficit to 4-3. 
 
Utah Valley then took the lead back for good with a four-run sixth to chase Porthan, which was followed by a five-run seventh.

Dixie State stopped the drought in the eighth when Hank Dodson hit a towering home run out of the stadium with a runner on to trim the UVU lead to 12-6. For Dodson it was his first of the season and the second dinger of his collegiate career. 

The Blazers would add two more runs the their column in the ninth to pull to within four, however the deficit proved to be too much as the Wolverines held on from there to clinch the series win.  

Dixie State was limited to seven hits in the game and managed just two after the fourth inning – the Dodson homer and a Tyson Fisher RBI-single in the ninth. Hollow accounted for two of those safeties, which marked the third-straight game the senior second baseman had recorded at least two base hits. 
 
Dixie State will look to avoid the road series sweep in Saturday's finale, which has been moved up to 11:05 a.m. start due to possible rain showers.