@UDallasBaseball splits doubleheader with No. 1 Trinity
SAN ANTONIO - The University of Dallas baseball team (12-13, 2-6 SCAC) lost 8-2 in seven innings to top-ranked Trinity University (20-2, 7-1 SCAC), before giving the Tigers their first conference defeat -- 9-8 in 10 innings -- on Saturday afternoon.
Game 1 Recap
The Crusaders allowed runs in the first three innings to Trinity. A 3-0 deficit after one frame lifted the top ranked squad in NCAA Division III to an edge that would not be relinquished. A pair of runs in the second and third pushed the margin to seven, before Dallas got on in the fourth.
Senior Alex Thornton (Fort Worth, Texas) scored both of the runs for the Crusaders as he drew two walks. The team had six overall. Sophomore Tug McRoberts (Beaumont, Texas) drove in the only RBI credited to the guests in this one.
Trinity outhit the Crusaders 11-3 and benefitted from eight free passes. Chris Bianchi homered to headline a 3-for-4 and two RBI day at the dish. Drew Butler and Jeremy Wolf added a pair of ribbies each and Butler smacked one of the team's trio of doubles. Zack Speer earned the win in four innings of the seven-inning affair. UD's freshman Evan Eubanks (West, Texas) was saddled with the loss, as he threw 2.1 frames.
Game 2 Recap
The Crusaders stunned Trinity with two comebacks in the second contest to eventually steal a road win and send the Tigers to their first defeat in SCAC play. Trailing 5-0 after four innings, which TU built with runs in three of them; the Crusaders erupted for five runs in the fifth to knot the score.
Trinity went ahead in the bottom of the eighth with three runs, but a double by Dallas' Thornton nipped the gap to 8-7 in the top of the ninth. A wild pitch got him to third and two batters later a sacrifice fly by junior Trevor Keele (Edgewood, Texas) tied the game for extras.
Sophomore Alex Benza (Lewisville, Texas) stole home in the 10th and despite Trinity getting the tying run 90 feet away in the bottom half of the extra frame; Keele locked down the final out to gain his second win in relief with 2.2 innings thrown.
Keele made his performances on both sides of the ball stand up. He hit 3-for-4 with five RBI that included a grand slam in the fifth. Sophomore Jake Pierce (Tucson, Ariz.) also went yard that same frame to get the Crusaders on the board. The catcher posted UD's only other multiple hit game with a 2-for-3.
Despite Trinity outhitting UD 14-9, the Crusaders kept clawing back and were able to pull a road upset and even the series.
Cart McEachern notched a game-high four hits, drove in one, and scored twice. The top three hitters on the card combined for five runs plated. Hitters 1,2, and 4 posted all five of the team's ribbies. Matt Tindall suffered an unlucky loss with no hits allowed in 1.2 innings. He did walk one and allowed an unearned run that proved to be the game winner.
Junior Martin Cronin (The Woodlands, Texas) and Michael Walker were the starters in this contest. Cronin tossed 7.1 innings, while Walker went six.
Up Next
Dallas concludes the series on Sunday.