ST. GEORGE, Utah – It was a back-and-forth battle with runs being scored in four-consecutive half-innings. However, Dixie State pulled ahead with seven runs in their final three frames to take the series opener 12-3.
 
The Trailblazers got out to an early two-run lead in the bottom of the first inning, scoring on a pair of sacrifice flies. Trailing 2-0 heading into the top of the fourth, the Urban Knights got even. To begin the frame, junior infielder Michael Maleski led off the inning with a seven-pitch walk. One out later, junior outfielder Izac Bauer tied things up with his third home run of the season, a no-doubter over the left-center field wall.
 
After Dixie State took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the inning on their third sacrifice fly of the game, junior outfielder Kyle McGraw laced an RBI single to right-center to tie the game at three runs apiece in the top of the fifth. The Trailbazers went ahead once again in the bottom of the frame however, taking a 5-3 advantage after a two-out two run double.
 
Dixie took control from there, scoring seven unanswered runs in the sixth through eighth innings.
 
Making a hometown start, junior right-hander Chris Petrosie tossed 6.2 innings, but allowed 10 runs (nine earned) on ten hits and four walks. Senior righty Josh Lopez pitched the remaining 1.1 innings and put twos up across the board: two runs (earned), two hits, two walks, and two strikeouts.

On the offensive side, Bauer's fourth-inning homer give him three on the year which leads the team and is tied for the third-most in a season in program history. Furthermore, sophomore Robert "Gio" Villanueva put together a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.
 
With the loss, Academy of Art moves to 13-22, 9-12 PacWest and Dixie State improves to 26-9 and 15-6 in conference. The two teams will converge for games two and three on Friday with a doubleheader slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. MT.