Byers' one-hit bid, Allred's grand-slam fuel Baseball to 10-0 victory in season-opener over East Texas Baptist University
IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas baseball team (1-0) kicked off their 2012 season with a 10-0 win over East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) on Friday afternoon at Crusader Field. Dallas' Michael Byers stymied Tiger hitters, while Trevor Allred's grand-slam put an exclamation mark on the season opener.
In six innings on the mound for third-year head coach Fraser Holmes, the 5-foot-11 right-handed junior Byers allowed just one hit, while walking three and striking-out two ETBU (0-1) batters.
Playing first base for the Crusaders until the top of the seventh inning, 6-foot-4 sophomore right-hander Andrew Bossert (Friendswood, Texas/Friendswood H.S.) took over the bump in relief of Byers, with Dallas possessing a 4-0 lead.
Against seven batters faced, Bossert walked two and struck-out one, helping Dallas reach the ninth-inning having yet to yield a run to the Tigers.
Freshman Martin Cronin (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands Christian Academy) slammed the door shut on ETBU in the ninth, as the 6-foot-4 right-hander saw the Tiger batters go down in order after striking-out his first combatant, looking.
Dallas scored a run in the first inning, three in the fourth, one in the seventh, and then five more in the eighth-inning when the 5-foot-11 third baseman Allred (Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage H.S.) belted a grand-slam over the left-field wall in the bottom of the eighth. Allred tallied five RBI for the game.
Allred and 5-foot-9 freshman shortstop Nolan Kipp (Folsom, Calif./Christian Brothers H.S.) each accounted for two of Dallas' eight hits on the afternoon. Defensively, this infield tandem combined for three put-outs and eight assists.
Next opponent:
Amidst the University's Groundhog festivities, Dallas will host ETBU on Saturday, Feb. 4, in a 12 p.m. doubleheader (1x7, 1x9) at Crusader Field.
In-game updates will be provided on Facebook (UDallasAthletics) and Twitter (UDallasSports).
