Dixie State could not overcome a torrid UC Santa Barbara start as the Trailblazers were shutout by the No. 9/19 Gauchos, 8-0, in the opening game of their three-game weekend series on Friday night at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
 
The Trailblazers (19-30) found themselves in immediate trouble after the first three Gauchos reached off of starter Jake Dahle (L, 2-5) to open the game. The Trailblazers, who entered the game as the NCAA Division-I co-leader in double plays (52), had a chance to minimize the damage as Dahle induced a potential double play ball on the next batter, but a throwing error on the play led to the first two runs of the game.
 
Then the floodgates opened as UCSB (35-11) tacked on five more runs on three hits and two more errors as the Gauchos sent 11 batters to the plate to race out to a commanding 7-0 lead.
 
Bolstered by the early run support, UCSB ace Cory Lewis (W, 8-0) retired 19 of the first 21 Trailblazers he faced through seven innings of work, including five on strikes, as DSU could only muster two hits against the Gaucho righthander.
 
Meanwhile, three Blazer relievers combined to limit UCSB to just one run and five hits from the second inning on to keep DSU in the game. Freshman Carsten Herman fanned a career-high four in 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, while senior Haiden Hendricks struck out a career-best six in three shutout innings.
 
Dixie State wound up with just the two base hits and five total base runners on the night, with Mathew Ivancich and Shane Taylor accounting for both safeties, which came in the DSU third inning.
 
DSU will look to even the series in game two on Saturday beginning at 4 p.m. (PT).