Dixie State gave No. 9/19 UC Santa Barbara all it could handle and more, but the Trailblazers came up just short in their major upset bid as the Gauchos escaped with a 7-6 walk-off victory over the Trailblazers on Saturday night at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. 
 
A night after the Trailblazers (19-31) saw UCSB load the bases with no outs en route to seven first-inning runs, DSU returned the favor by taking advantage of two walks and an error to load the bases to open the game. 
 
Dixie State wound up plating two runs in the frame, though both were scored without benefit of a hit as Tyson Fisher collected an RBI on Gaucho starter Michael Gutierrez's third walk, while Tyler Hollow drove in the second run on a flyout to center field.
 
DSU starter Brett Porthan (ND) kept UCSB off the scoreboard in the home first, but the Gauchos cut the lead in half with a run on two hits in the second before the sophomore induced an inning-ending double play. 
 
UCSB (36-11) would wrestle the lead away in the third when after a lead-off walk, Nick Vogt homered over the center field fence to stake is side to a 3-2 lead. Meanwhile, Gutierrez (ND) settled in after surrendering DSU's two first inning runs, retiring 11-straight at one point while holding the Blazers hitless through four innings. 
 
It remained a one-run game until the sixth when again Dixie State would load the bases, this time with one out, which spelled the end of the day for Gutierrez. However the Trailblazers only managed to tie the game at 3-3 when Jack Walker lived up to his last name and drew a two-out free pass to chase home Parker Schmidt carrying the tying run. 
 
The Gauchos came back with a run in their half of the sixth, but DSU countered with two runs in the seventh jump back on top at 5-4. Jake Schulz opened the rally with a walk and would scamper to third on a Shane Taylor opposite field double to left.
 
Schmidt then flew out to right field, which allowed Schulz to score from third to tie the game and moved Taylor up 90 feet. Kaden Hollow followed with a bounding ball to the right side, which was booted by the Gauchos, though Taylor did race home with the go-ahead run.
 
UCSB threatened to again tie or take the lead after the stretch with runners on the corners and two outs, but Trailblazer reliever Ben Hart got Broc Mortensen to ground out to first to end the inning.
 
After DSU was set down in order in the ninth, the Gauchos looked as if they may have tied the game when John Newman Jr. blasted a shot to straight away center field. However senior outfielder Jagun Leavitt had other ideas as he timed his leap and made a highlight reel catch over the wall for the first out.
 
Pinch hitter Zander Darby then reached on a four-pitch walk, but the Blazers looked as if they were going to turn a potential game-ending double play when Ryan Hardman (L, 3-2) got Jordan Sprinkle to hit a ground ball to the left side of the Blazer infield.

DSU got the lead runner in Darby, but the relay throw to first sailed into the Trailblazer dugout, which allowed Sprinkle to advance to second. Mortensen then singled to center to drive in Sprinkle with the tying run and send the game to extra innings. 
 
Dixie State jumped back on top at 6-5 in the 10^th when Chase Rodriguez hammered his second homer of the season over the right field fence to lead off the stanza.
 
The Gauchos would get their first two hitters on base to begin the home 10^th, then after a sacrifice moved both base runners into scoring position, Kyle Johnson singled past the drawn in Blazer infield to drive in both runners and end the game. 
 
Dixie State finished with six hits on the night, with Taylor and Rodriguez accounting for both of the Blazers' extra-base hits. The game was also the 600th-career game for DIxie State Head Coach Chris Pfatenhauer (349-250-1). 
 
DSU will look to avoid the series sweep in Sunday's finale. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. (PT).