Dixie State softball splits with BYU-Hawaii

Dixie State's Josey Hartman (15), file photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

The No. 13 Dixie State softball team split a Pacific West Conference doubleheader at BYU-Hawaii on Friday, 2-1 and 9-0, in Laie, Hawaii.

The Trailblazers took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh in game one, but the Seasiders scored two runs to take a 2-1 victory. DSU bounced back to clinch the split with a 9-0 five-inning win in game two, turning nine hits and two BYU-H errors into the victory.

GAME ONE
BYU-Hawaii 2, Dixie State 1

Dixie State looked to take the lead in the first inning when Shelby Yung drew a walk, then moved to second when Bailey Gaffin grounded out to third base. Mallory Paulson then drove the 0-1 pitch into left field. Yung rounded third and headed for home, but throw from left field was on-target, and Yung was tagged out to end the inning.

BYU-Hawaii put a runner on first with a single to left center with one out in the bottom half of the first, but DSU eliminated the threat with a double play to end the inning.

The Trailblazers broke through in the top of the fourth when Paulson blasted a solo home run to left field to take a 1-0 lead. DSU looked to add the lead, but stranded runners on first and second later in the frame.

The lead remained until the bottom of the seventh when the Seasiders recorded back-to-back singles before a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third with one out. The game ended on the next play when Alexa Barrett singled up the middle. Bassett fielded the ball cleanly in center field and fired home in attempt to get the tying run at the plate, but the throw missed the target, allowing a second run to score to clinch the 2-1 win for BYU-H.

Bassett led the way at the plate in game one, going 2-for-3, while Paulson’s home run marked the lone RBI of the game for DSU. Beardshear tossed 6.1 solid innings, allowing five hits in her second loss of the season.

GAME TWO
Dixie State 9, BYU-Hawaii 0 (5 innings)

Dixie State opened the scoring in the second inning in game two, taking a 1-0 lead on a Dani Bartholf RBI-single up the middle. DSU added to the lead in the third after Bassett blasted a leadoff double down the left field line. Yung then moved Bassett to third with a sacrifice bunt, and Bassett scored when Paulson drove a sacrifice fly to center field to push the lead to 2-0.

Dixie State’s Mallory Paulson (24), file photo from Dixie State University vs. Dominican University of California, Softball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 7, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

The Trailblazers broke the game open in the top of the fifth, turning three hits and two BYU-H errors into seven runs for a 9-0 lead. Bassett drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and scored when Yung reached on a throwing error to set the tone in the inning. Paulson then cleared the bases with a two-run home run to center field, her second home run of the day, to push the lead to 5-0. DSU scored the next four runs on either a wild pitch, passed ball, or defensive error to extend the lead to the final tally of 9-0.

BYU-Hawaii put a runner on first with an infield single in the bottom half of the fifth, but Jessica Gonzalez threw the runner out at second on a steal attempt, while Alexis Barkwell struck out the first and last BYU-H batters of the frame to clinch the win.

Bartholf led the offensive attack in game two, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a walk, while Bassett again went 2-for-3 to finish at 4-for-6 on the day. Paulson’s two-run home run closed out a 4 RBI day for the senior infielder. Barkwell improved to 4-0 in the pitcher’s circle, tossing a four-hit gem with a career-high six strikeouts for her first complete-game shutout of the season.

The Blazers move to 25-6 overall and 11-3 in the PacWest. The loss dropped them behind Cal Baptist into a second-place tie with Azusa Pacific. The Seasiders move to 10-18 overall and 7-9 in conference with the split. Dixie State will wrap up its 10-game Hawaii trip with a Sunday afternoon doubleheader at Hawai’i Pacific, starting at 4 p.m. Mountain Time, in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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