Dixie State University picked up two easy victories in scrimmages against Salt Lake Community College and College of Southern Nevada over the weekend.
DSU smothered CSN 10-4, scoring early and often Friday. Redshirt junior outfielder Trey Kamachi scored the Red Storm’s first point in the second inning after hitting a single, and Kamachi was batted in by junior outfielder Trey Reineke.
Kamachi struck again with a home run that scored two in the sixth inning, which tied the game at three. DSU gained the lead one batter later and never looked back.
Senior first baseman Sam Hall, an integrated studies major from Ogden, said the team is more focused on the process of preparing for the games.
“We’re three-time [Pacific West Conference] champions,” Hall said. “We want to take that next step and go to the World Series, so we’re not really concerned with beating these junior colleges.”
DSU held CSN to only four points in the 14-inning double header.
DSU was challenged further Saturday against SLCC but still commanded most of the game.
DSU scored one run in the first inning and then took a 2-1 lead off a single shot home run from redshirt junior pitcher Kayden Porter. DSU’s bats got hot in the seventh inning, giving them a 7-3 lead.
SLCC made what would look to be a comeback on paper, but the 10-7 loss for the Bruins was anything but close.
“The more we continue to play together, the better we’re going to get,” said junior catcher Reece Lucero, a communication major from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“It was a good opportunity for us to get out there and feel what it’s like to play against a different opponent,” Reece said.
The key for DSU to get to the World Series is to pay the price more than other teams from the way they train to the way they eat, Hall said.
“In the last five years, we’ve gone to the PacWest Regional championships every time, and no other team has done that,” Hall said. “We’ve yet to go to the World Series, so it’s our turn.”
DSU will play Brigham Young University Saturday at noon at Bruce Hurst Field to wrap up fall ball and will start its regular season Feb. 5.
