Baseball completes sweep of East Texas Baptist University; Dallas edges Tigers, 1-0, in Game One of doubleheader; Crusaders take Game Two, 13-2
IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas baseball team (3-0) has opened their 2012 campaign with a sweep of East Texas Baptist University (ETBU), after taking game one of Saturday's doubleheader at Crusader Field, 1-0, before notching a 13-2 victory in game two versus the Tigers.
Game 1: Dallas 1, ETBU 0 (F/7) Box score
In what could be described as a pitchers' duel, game one saw a combined eight hits between the two teams, and just one run.
5-foot-9 senior right-hander Stephen Hansen (Shadow Hills, Calif./Verdiago Hills H.S.) pitched a complete seven-inning shutout for the Crusaders, surrendering just two hits to ETBU (0-2) which came in the fifth inning. Hansen (1-0) struck-out four batters, while walking the same number.
His counterpart Pete Fitzsimmons gave up the game's only run, a sixth inning score resulting from back-to-back doubles to lead off the inning by a pair of veteran bats.
These extra-base hits came from 5-foot-9 senior catcher Varea Costello (Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage H.S.) and 6-foot-1 senior left fielder Devin Arnold (McKinney, Texas/McKinney H.S.), with Arnold providing the game-winning hit.
With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, tension was in the air for Dallas, as ETBU had runners on first and second base after these respective Tiger hitters reached on walks.
Dallas, however, managed to hang on thanks to a Hansen-enduced ground ball to Ethan Vidrine (Keller, Texas/ Keller H.S.), which the 5-foot-11 shortstop fired over to 6-foot-4 sophomore first baseman Andrew Bossert (Friendswood, Texas/Friendswood H.S.) for the game's final out.
Game 2: Dallas 13, ETBU 2 (F/9) Box score
The back-half of Saturday's doubleheader was a night-and-day comparision to game one, as the Crusader bats arose from their slumber.
After 6-foot-2 senior right-handed pitcher Michael Schweiss (Parker, Colo./Chaparral H.S.) struck-out the first two batters he faced and proceeded to get the third Tiger hitter to fly out to center field, Dallas drew blood in the form of two first inning scores.
Shaking off a lead-off hit-by-pitch, Arnold got revenge on the base paths, putting himself in scoring position with two stolen bases in the bottom of the first.
Arnold scored the game's first run when 5-foot-11 junior third baseman Trevor Allred (Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage H.S.) lined-out to the left fielder, producing a sacrifice fly. Bossert then reached on a single and crossed home plate when junior right fielder Adam Farris (Flower Mound, Texas/Liberty Christian H.S.) subsequently smashed a triple into the right-center gap.
Though ETBU (0-3) was able to hang two runs on Dallas in the top of the second to level the score, the Crusaders provided Schweiss (1-0) with all the run support he needed, in the bottom of the inning.
Dallas recorded three runs in the second inning, including the game-winner off the bat of 6-foot-2 freshman designated hitter Luciano Villanueva (San Antonio, Texas/Antonian College Prep.) which scored Vidrine to make the score 3-2.
Thanks to timely hitting and some Tiger dibotchery, the Crusaders were able to net Schweiss some insurance runs, ending the inning with a 5-2 scoreboard advantage.
Backed by solid defense, Schweiss allowed no runs on five hits over his final four innings pitched. In six innings of work, Schweiss gave up six hits and two runs (one earned), while walking one and striking-out seven.
Dallas further distanced themselves from ETBU over the game's final five innings, scoring a combined seven runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, including a two-run bomb in the fifth by Allred.
Of note, Allred finished the three-game series with a .364 batting average, two home runs, nine RBI and a .909 slugging percentage.
6-foot-2 junior southpaw Chris Schierhorn (Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage H.S.) and 6-foot freshman righty Jacob Bruns (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian H.S.) were summoned from the bullpen by head coach Fraser Holmes.
Both were effective in relief, with Schierhorn pitching a flawless seventh and eighth inning, before Bruns ended the game in the ninth after giving up a hit and a walk.
In the 13-2 victory, Dallas totalled six extra-base hits.
Next opponent:
Looking to keep a head of steam, Dallas will begin a three-game series against Sul Ross State University with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader vs. the Lobos on Saturday, Feb. 11, in Alpine, Texas.
