Another Upset in St. George

Friday, March 4

St. George, Utah

3:00 PM

California Baptist University

12-4, 2-0

Dixie State

12-4, 0-2

California Baptist

Dixie State

Photo by: Andrew Shortall

Another Upset in St. George

3/4/2016 9:19:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

ST. GEORGE, Utah – It took 10 innings for California Baptist University to declare itself the winner in the series and PacWest opener with Dixie State a day earlier. It did not take the Lancers as much time to suck the air out of Bruce Hurst Field in game two of the series and first of Friday's doubleheader.

CBU cruised to a 12-2 win to open the day against the ninth-ranked Red Storm. In game two, the No. 28 Lancers nearly won the series and took DSU to an extra inning before falling 5-4. Both teams saw their records move to 12-5 Friday, with the Lancers 2-1 in the PacWest and the Red Storm 1-2. The series wraps up Saturday at 11 a.m.

It was a fast start for CBU, as it put together a three-run first inning and then scored in each of the first five innings. Stephen Lohr led the rampage with a 5-for-5 game that included five runs scored, three driven in, two doubles and a homer. Antonio Chavarria was 3-for-6 with three runs batted in and two doubles in the game.

Lohr started the scoring with a one-out double into right-center field on a full count in the top of the first, bringing home Zack Norris, who reached on an error. Taylor Wetzel cleared the bases and gave the Lancers a 3-0 lead with a two-out, two-run homer to right field.

Dixie State attempted to stay with the Lancers, with a run of its own in the bottom of the first, but it was all for naught. CBU would score the next nine runs. Norris brought home the fourth tally – set up by a double from Ryan Williams, who was 2-for-2 in the game – with an RBI grounder in the second.

A solo home run from Lohr led off the third inning before a four-run fourth made it 9-1 in favor of the Lancers. Lohr and Chavarria drove in the first two runs with an RBI single and double, respectively, while an error and bases-loaded walk to Jake Gallaway scored two more.

With two outs in the fifth, Lohr and Chavarria put together a two-man, two-out rally. It started with a Lohr single and concluded on Chavarria's double.

After being held off the scoreboard in the sixth and seventh, the final two CBU runs of the game came in the eighth. Andrew Montoya and Lohr led the frame off with a respective single and double and then a balk brought home Montoya. Chavarria singled into right field to plate Lohr.

Offense may have stolen the show, but Dylan Stowell was not to be outdone. He earned his fourth win in as many starts with another outstanding performance. He threw seven innings on 111 pitches, allowed eight hits, two walks and struck out five. The Red Storm managed just one unearned run off him.

In Friday's nightcap, CBU scored four runs in the top of the third to take a 4-1 lead. Gallaway led off the inning with a double and a sacrifice bunt moved him to third. Norris scored him with a single through the right side, and Montoya kept the pressure on Dixie State with an RBI double.

Despite being down to one out, Chavarria and David, who was 2-for-3 in the game, kept the inning alive with a run-scoring single and double to put the Lancers up 4-1.

The Red Storm kept fighting and cut its deficit to two, 4-2, in the fourth. It took an improbable comeback for Dixie State to pull it out, down to its final two outs in the bottom of the seventh. A single and error got the rally going, with consecutive singles loading the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly on a full count tied the game and sent it into extra innings.

Dixie State loaded the bases again in the 10th with two hits and a hit by pitch. It eventually scored the walk-off winner on a full-count single.

Jeremy McDonald turned in a strong start in Friday's finale for CBU. He went 6.1 innings where he struck out eight, walked two and gave up three runs (two earned).