ST. GEORGE, Utah – Dixie State forced a decisive third game in the NCAA Softball West Super Regional, but Chico State came from behind in the third game of the series to eliminate the Trailblazers and advance to the College World Series.
In the first game,
Dani Bartholf and
Cassidy Morton combined for four hits and four RBI to lead Dixie State to a 5-2 win.
Bartholf went 3-for-3 with a solo home run in the fourth and an RBI single in the seventh. Morton’s two-run single in the fifth inning broke a 2-2 tie.
Cambrie Hazel allowed five hits and one earned run in a complete-game effort.
Dixie State carried the momentum into the winner-take-all third game, building a 2-0 lead. Bartholf fouled out to first base with the bases loaded, and all three runners advanced.
Janessa Bassett led off the third inning with a single, stole second, and then scored on a single by
Bailey Gaffin.
Two solo home runs in the third and fourth innings tied the score for the Wildcats. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Dixie State regained the lead when Bassett scored on a passed ball. Chico State answered in the bottom half of the inning with another home run, this one a two-run shot to take the lead for the first time on the day, 4-3.
The Trailblazers did not go quietly, putting the leadoff runner on base in each of their final two innings. In the seventh, a single and a sac bunt put the winning run on second, but two strikeouts ended the threat and the season for Dixie State at 42-10.