@UDallasBaseball on both ends of One-Run Games in Twinbill at Texas Lutheran
SEGUIN, Texas – The University of Dallas baseball team (10-8, 1-2 SCAC) was unable to hold the Texas Lutheran University (13-6, 2-1 SCAC) two times in a row on Sunday as the split dropped the Crusaders in their first Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) series of the year. After holding onto a 4-3 victory in game one, the Crusaders were walked off on in eight innings of a seven-inning scheduled nightcap by a final of 7-6.
Game 1 Recap
Dallas claimed an early lead with a run in the second and third innings. Sophomore Jake Pierce picked up the first RBI, and junior Trevor Keele (Edgewood, Texas) smacked a single to bring home senior Mark Carlson (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.) in the third.
After TLU evened the game in the seventh with a pair of runs, the Crusaders struck for two more in the ninth inning. Carlson tripled in a run and scored on sacrifice bunt by classmate Alex Thornton (Fort Worth, Texas). That extra run proved to be the difference as the Bulldogs responded with a run in the bottom half of the frame. Ryan Hill singled down the left field line with two outs but a pop out on the next batter evened the three-game series up.
The Crusaders held an 8-6 edge in hits and both squads committed two errors. Keele went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Carlson and junior Zack Boylson (Fairview, Texas) added multi-hit games. Freshman Evan Eubanks (West, Texas) took the no decision in 6.1 innings of the start. He allowed two runs on three hits and struck out four to go with a walk. Keele was awarded his first win of the campaign in 2.2 innings of relief. Thomas Harwell was given the loss for the Bulldogs. Dwayne Snider allowed those early runs with one being unearned, but threw eight frames.
Game 2 Recap
A pair of three-run innings helped bolster the Crusaders offense in the second contest of the day. Trailing 3-0, UD posted its first trio-run inning during the sixth to knot the game. Dallas took the lead with another three-spot in the eighth. Since the game was only scheduled for seven innings, the Bulldogs were able to snatch the victory and series by scoring four times in the bottom half of the frame.
The Bulldogs got the early lead with two runs in the second inning. Hill and Alejandro Gu each recorded ribbies. Derek Kanas clubbed an RBI-double in the third to push the lead to three for the Black and Gold.
Junior Luciano Villanueva (San Antonio, Texas) got the Crusaders on the board with a double down the left field line, which scored freshman Avery Arnold (McKinney, Texas). Keele and Boylson contributed an RBI apiece to knot the score. It remained that way after seven, so an extra innings scenario was created. Villanueva and Keele got singles to notch one and two runs-batted-in, respectively. It was not enough as Von Wendel for the Bulldogs got the game-winning single to score a pair of runs.
Keele picked up his second decision in a row for UD. TLU's Conner Capdau got the win in relief with 0.2 innings of the eighth worked. He struck out both batters faced. Thornton and Villanueva each went 3-for-4 and hitters 2, 3, 4, and 5 in the lineup contributed all-but one of the team's nine hits. The heart of UD's order (3-4-5) etched all six ribbies combined. Keele produced a game-high three RBI, and Villanueva drove in two.
Up Next
The Crusaders head to Farmers Branch, Texas, to face the Crusaders of Dallas Christian College on Wednesday for a pair of seven-inning games.