ST. GEORGE – Five runs in the final two innings fueled California Baptist University baseball to a comeback 7-4 win at Dixie State on Saturday.

The Lancers and Trailblazers split the Western Athletic Conference doubleheader, with Dixie State winning the first game, 2-1, as another CBU comeback bid fell short. The series will come to a close with an 11 a.m. Pacific game on Sunday back at Bruce Hurst Field.

Chad Castillo went 5-for-7 on the day, while Damon Keith had three hits, including homers in both games. Russell Stevenson had three hits on the day, as well, while Marty Munoz and Nick Plaia had hits in both games, too.  

CBU moves to 20-11 and 12-3 in the WAC, while Dixie State is now 11-21, 9-10. The Lancers' three losses are still a conference low. Grand Canyon won its seventh game in a row to improve to 21-14-1 overall and 15-4 in the WAC. Sacramento State has lost three-straight games to drop into third place at 21-10, 13-6.

GAME ONE
Saturday's opener was a pitcher's duel, as there was still no score four-and-a-half innings through the seven-inning game. Bryan Pope threw a complete game and gave up just one earned run on three hits, three walks and struck out eight over six innings. It's his third game with at least eight strikeouts this season.

Dixie State finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth, with a run on two walks and a hit, and then went up 2-0 on a solo homer in the sixth.

The Lancers looked to rally back in the final inning. Keith led off the seventh with a full-count homer to left center. Castillo then drew a walk to bring the go-ahead run to the plate, but a double play ended the threat and then the game.

Castillo went 2-for-2 in the game with two walks. Munoz, a true freshman, recorded his first career hit with a double in the second inning, as well.

GAME TWO
CBU's offense broke out for 11 hits in Saturday's win. Stevenson went 3-for-3, while Castillo had three hits in the game and Damon Keith added two more.

Dixie State jumped out to a 3-1 lead through four innings, but the second hit of the day from Munoz score helped score CBU's second run of the game in the fifth. The Lancers then erupted for three runs with a two-out rally in the eighth.

Stevenson tied the game an RBI single and Nick Plaia drove in a pair with an 0-2 single to give CBU its first lead of the day, 5-3. The Trailblazers got a run back in the bottom half of the inning, but a two-run homer from Keith in the ninth gave the Lancers a three-run lead.

Despite two quick outs, Dixie State would not go away quietly in its last at-bats. Three-straight walks loaded the bases, but CJ Culpepper calmed down and got a big strikeout to end the game and leave the bases full.

It secured Culpepper's 10^th save of the season, as he recorded the final four outs of the game. Jacob McCarvel got the win in relief, as he held DSU to a hit and a run over 2.1 innings. Matt Amrhein threw 3.2 innings in relief, as well, and allowed just three hits and a run.

CULPEPPER'S RECORD PACE
Culpepper's 10 saves this year have tied the Lancers' single-season record and for the overall lead in NCAA Division I. Georgia Southern's Nick Jones and Stanford's Zach Green also have 10 saves this season.

Those 10 saves are three more than any other WAC pitcher this year. Charlie Eckenrod first set CBU's single-season saves record at 10 back in 2001. Culpepper and Eckenrod are now tied for the fifth most career saves in Lancer history at 10 apiece.