@UDallasBaseball splits Season Opener at Sul Ross State University

ALPINE, Texas – The University of Dallas baseball team began the 2014 campaign with a 3-1 victory over Sul Ross State University in a seven-inning scheduled contest. The host Lobos recovered and split the day with a 9-7 final in the nine-inning nightcap.

Game 1 Recap

Dallas jumped ahead for good with a pair of runs in the first inning. Junior Trevor Keele (Edgewood, Texas) smacked a two-RBI double to left field in that frame to score Guadencio Lucca and senior Alex Thornton (Fort Worth, Texas).

Connor Griffith knocked in Sul Ross State's only run in the third frame to cut the margin in half at the time. However, UD countered in its next turn to bat in the fourth with a run by junior Luciano Villanueva (San Antonio, Texas) scoring sophomore Jake Pierce (Tucson, Ariz.) with one of his team-high two hits.

Despite being outhit 10-6, the Crusaders were able to make their opponent strand nine runners. Junior Martin Cronin (The Woodlands, Texas) threw five innings and allowed a run on eight hits to earn the win. He led the staff with four strikeouts, as sophomore Denton Martin (Denton, Texas) and Keele followed with an inning apiece out of the bullpen. They respectively fanned two and one to give Dallas seven combined strikeouts in the opener. None on the staff allowed a walk. Joes Gonzales was saddled for Sul Ross State with the loss, going four innings and yielding three runs on five hits. He walked and struck out three.

Game 2 Recap

In game two, the Crusaders used five straight runs to erase a four-run deficit through the first two innings. However, the home squad posted consecutive two-run innings for the second time in a row to go up for good.

The Lobos grabbed an early advantage with two runs in the first inning. Shane Sawyer and Emmett Crisp delivered RBI singles to break the scoreless game. Johnny Campos and Josh Vasquez each flew out for sacrifice fly outs and doubled the edge an inning later.

Dallas got on the board in the top of the third with Carlson stealing third and then scoring on a wild pitch. The bats awoke in the fifth inning with a quartet of runs coming across the plate for the guests. Villanueva walked with the bases loaded, and then two batters later junior Zack Boylson (Fairview, Texas) reached on a fielding error that led to the bases clearing. All three runs in that sequence were unearned.

The Lobos responded by generating the next five runs of their own and that unanswered span forced a rubber game for Sunday.

Senior Mark Carlson (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.) went 3-for-4, with two runs and RBI to pace the team offensively. Keele doubled for the team's lone extra base hit. Both teams were charged three errors. Sawyer was the Lobos' top hitter with a 3-for-5 and pair of runs and ribbies.