AZUSA, Calif. – Representing the tying run, Dixie State’s Tyler Baker went to the plate with two men on and two outs in the ninth with the Trailblazers trailing 5-2. Known more for his speed than his power (Baker leads the Blazers in stolen bases but has yet to hit a home run this year), the shortstop got a hold of the pitch and for a brief moment it looked as if the game would be tied. Instead the UCSD left fielder made the catch at the warning track, about three feet short of the needed distance.
And with that, Dixie State dropped the first game of its run in the NCAA Tournament. The Blazers will now play Cal-Poly Pomona and try to stave off elimination.
UCSD jumped out first in the third inning. With the swing of a bat, the Trailblazers were looking at a 3-0 deficit. The Tritons got two men on with a walk and a single. Then Brandon Shirley knocked Dylan File’s pitch over the left field fence.
The Trailblazers got one back in the bottom of the inning. After Dixie State loaded the bases, Logan Porter hit a sacrifice fly to score Drew McLaughlin. In the sixth, Porter got his second RBI with a solo home run over the right field fence.
However, the lead climbed back to three when Triton DH Justin Flatt hit a bases-loaded double. The closest the Trailblazers would come to scoring would be in the last inning. Miles Bice and Drew McLaughlin both hit safely to set up Baker’s final at-bat.
Dylan File (8-2) took the loss from the mound. File pitched seven innings, giving up four runs on six hits and striking out six. Offensively, the Blazers were led by McLaughlin, Bice and Feist with two hits apiece. They outhit the Tritons 10-7.
The Blazers fall to 37-13-1. Their game against the Broncos Friday will begin at 3 p.m. Pacific Time.
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