DIXIE STATE

SOFTBALL: Dixie State's Kelsey Mendenhall was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to force in the winning run as the Red Storm downed Cal State Monterey Bay 7-6 on Friday at St. George.

Mendenhall had a single to tie the score at 6-6 in the sixth inning of the NCAA Division II West Region game. The Otters had taken a 6-4 lead with four runs in the sixth inning. Shantae Hunter's sacrifice fly brought Dixie State (37-10) within 6-5. Mendenhall's hit came after Ashley McFarland and Haley Schumers both walked with two outs.

"It hit my wrist," Mendenhall noted.

Asked if being hit hurt, she replied, "Actually, it feels better that we won."

Mendenhall had struck out before the key at-bats in the final innings. "Especially at this level, you always have to have confidence," she said of her mindset.

"It was a great game," said DSC coach Beth Collett. "It was exciting. It was dramatic. The good thing about this team is we find a way to win."

Mendenhall had gotten the Red Storm going with a solo home run in the second inning. Dixie State scored three additional runs on three errors by the Otters (36-26-1).

The Red Storm didn't score again until they trailed 6-4. Valerie Calderon's three-run, pinch-hit home run was the key hit for Cal State Monterey Bay when it scored four runs to take the lead.

Cal State Monterey Bay finished with 11 hits while Dixie State had eight. Mendenhall had two of the Red Storm's hits and added three runs batted in.

Dixie State will play Hawaii Pacific, a 2-1 winner over California-San Diego, this morning.

UTAH VALLEY

BASEBALL: Utah Valley University led 4-2 in the sixth inning, but 11 unanswered runs by Dallas Baptist led to a 13-4 loss on Friday night at Patriot Field in Dallas.

The Wolverines (16-32) were able to break through first, scoring two times in the third. Billy Burgess got UVU on the board with a sac-fly to center that scored Cole Anderson. Chris Benson upped his hit streak to 11 games with a single that brought in Jace Brinkerhoff for the second run.