Dixie State snapped its season-long five-game losing streak with a convincing 8-2 Pacific West Conference series-opening victory over Holy Names on a rainy Thursday afternoon at Alameda College.
After surrendering a pair of unearned runs to the Hawks in the second inning, the Trailblazers (7-16, 3-10 PacWest) took the lead for good in the fourth on the strength of a Jake Engel three-run home run. Bryce Feist reached on an error to lead off the frame, and Logan Porter drew a walk ahead of Engel, who drove a 1-2 Aiden McIntyre (L, 0-4) offering deep over the wall in left field to spot DSU a 3-1 lead.
Dixie State then broke the game open with three more runs in the seventh thanks to a Joe Raymond pinch-hit RBI-single to left center and a pair of HNU (5-13, 1-8 PacWest) wild pitches. DSU then took advantage of two more Hawk miscues in the ninth to plate two more runs on RBIs from Feist and Porter.
The run support was more than enough for the Trailblazer pitching staff as three hurlers combined to fan 11 Hawk hitters while holding HNU to those two unearned runs and six total hits. Junior righthander Chandler Greenfield (W, 1-0) picked up his first win of the year after he struck out a career-high seven in 5.2 innings of hitless relief to close out the game.
The two teams will continue their four-game series with a Friday doubleheader beginning at noon PT.
Steve Johnson is the Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations and Collegiate Licensing at Dixie State University. For more DSU Athletics news, please visit www.dixiestateathletics.com and follow Dixie State on Twitter at @DixieAthletics.