FRESNO, Calif.  – The Fresno Pacific University baseball team came away with an 8-4 victory on Thursday night, defeating 21st-ranked Dixie State in the opener of a four-game PacWest Conference series.

"I liked our competitiveness all the way through tonight, and that started with {starting pitcher} Trent Ashford. He had the demeanor that he should have with his abilities. He was aggressive and pitched with confidence, and it was fun to watch," head coach Oscar Hirsckorn said. "Their starter made it tough for us, but our hitters stayed with it and looked like they were in control. We took good at-bats for the entire game, and we have become fairly consistent with our offense."

Ashford retired the Trailblazers in order in the opening frame, and Eddie Sievers' homer in the home half allowed the righthander an early 2-0 cushion. The Sunbird starter pitched into the eighth inning and finished his night with a career-high eight strikeouts, surpassing the century mark in pitches for the third consecutive outing.

The biggest inning of the night came in the home sixth, and it proved to be the difference after the Blue and Orange erupted for five runs in the inning. Capped by singles from Joey Gallegos, McKay France and Jarrett Anton, the Sunbirds were able to take an 8-3 lead and wouldn't look back.

Ashford issued a walk that cued his exit from the game, and Carson Schellenberg became the first Sunbird reliever of the series. Schellenberg failed to record an out, but closer Matt Bergandi pitched his way out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam to pick up the five-out save.

Frankfort highlighted the team's ten-hit effort with a 3-for-4 effort at the dish to push his batting average in league play to .371. Every Sunbird in the order reached base at least once, with France and Anton combining for four runs batted in.

For the visiting Trailblazers, infielders Tyler Baker and Logan Porter each contributed a multi-hit night, while centerfielder Trey Kamachi extended his hitting streak to 16 games. Starter Dylan File took his first loss of the season after allowing all eight Sunbird runs over just five innings.

Fresno Pacific and Dixie State will be back in action on Friday, when they will play a nine-inning game and follow it with a seven-inning nightcap. First pitch from FPU Diamond is slated for 2:00 p.m.

"We had good energy tonight, and everybody in our dugout was in the moment," Hirsckorn said. "The most important thing for us right now is to keep just focusing on us and the things we do well."