Dixie State saw a late-inning rally come up just short as the Trailblazers dropped the final game of their four-game series at Cal Poly, 5-3, on Sunday afternoon at Baggett Stadium. DSU lost all four games in the set, which marked just the second series loss of the 2022 season, to fall to 13-14 overall.
After spotting the Mustangs a first inning run, DSU broke an 18-inning scoreless drought in the series with a run in the third when
Zach Thomas sacrifice fly and RBI.
Cal Poly (18-10) jumped back on top with a run in the home third and struck for three more in the fourth to extend to a 5-1 lead.
Dixie State managed to get one of those runs back in the seventh to trim the deficit to 5-2.
Ethan He reached on a lead-off single and stole a base ahead of
Shane Taylor, who collected his second RBI of the series with a ground ball base hit up the middle to plate the Blazer base runner.
The Trailblazers then made it a 5-3 game thanks to a one out Mustang error in the eighth. With runners on first and second,
Keith Davis beat out an infield single, however the throw to the bag short-hopped the Cal Poly first baseman and caromed away, which allowed lead runner
Tyler Hollow to score.
After Cal Poly made a call to the bullpen, reliever Jason Franks came on and retired the next two Blazers he faced to end the Dixie State threat.
DSU had one more chance in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate with two outs, but Franks got Hollow to line out to shortstop to end the game.
The Blazers lost despite outhitting Cal Poly 9-8, with Taylor and Hollow each collecting two hits apiece.
Ryan Hardman (L, 2-1) got the spot start and struck out three in three innings, but was touched up for four runs and five hits. DSU's bullpen kept the Blazers in the game as four relievers combined to limit Cal Poly to one run and three hits over the final six innings.
Dixie State returns to Bruce Hurst Field for four-straight games this upcoming week, beginning with a non-conference date against in-state rival BYU on Tuesday evening at 5:05 p.m.
