Baseball rallies in 9th; Texas Lutheran hangs on for Series Sweep
SEGUIN, Texas – The University of Dallas baseball team rallied in the ninth inning on Sunday, but was unable to claw out of an early hole to fall 7-5. Texas Lutheran completed the conference sweep to bring the season series, 2-4.
GAME INFORMATION
Team Score: University of Dallas (5), Texas Lutheran University (7)
Team Records: Dallas (7-22, 3-6 SCAC), Texas Lutheran (19-9, 9-0 SCAC)
Pitcher Records: W) Rimko (3-2), L) Villanueva (1-3), S) Milone (1)
The Bulldogs jumped on defending SCAC Pitcher of the Week, Luciano Villanueva (San Antonio, Texas) by batting around the order in the bottom of the first inning. Four runs on five hits got tacked in their respective columns. TLU started the scoring as Riley Schaefer scored and Justin Law went to third on a wild pitch. Law would score on a Colby Schrade sacrifice fly out. That was the second out, but three straight singles, including RBI-knocks by Trenton Ray and Eric Rabinowitz ended the day for the Dallas starter. Villanueva did remain in the lineup as the designated hitter.
Texas Lutheran added a run in the fifth to extend the gap, but the Crusaders ended the shutout in their next turn to bad. Freshman Thomas Martin (Vancouver, Wash.) singled to center field for his 20th RBI this season as junior Avery Arnold scored. Arnold had the other hit that inning with a lead-off single to right. Arnold also swiped his 12th stolen base before going to third on a ground out for the first one putout of the inning. Martin's two-out single extended his personal-long hitting streak to 11 games. It is also the longest active one on the squad, and longest one for the team this spring.
Two unearned runs in the seventh gave the Bulldogs a 7-1 advantage. They helped tremendously, as Dallas roared back in its final at-bat that matched the runs and hit totals that TLU started the game with. Martin recorded his second hit of the game with a single to left. After one out moved Martin to second, four straight hits were smacked by the Crusaders.
Villanueva doubled to left field to bring Martin home. Junior JP Fasone (Englewood, Colo.) doubled to left in the next at-bat and the second UD runner was across. Freshmen Mark Peterson (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Paul Scioli (Lubbock, Texas) kept the hit parade going. After Peterson's single put runners on the corners, Scioli tripled for the second time this season to narrow the score to 7-5.
Aaron Milone was summoned at that point and got the final two outs to snuff the Crusaders' threat and earn the save.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Dallas outhit the Bulldogs 11-8. UD committed two errors compared to none by the home side.
- A quartet of players had two-hit games for the Crusaders. This included: Marin (2-4), Villanueva (2-4), Scioli (2-4), and Arnold (2-3).
- UD extra base hits: Villanueva and Fasone doubled, Scioli and Arnold tripled.
- Arnold stolen base was his 12th of the year and extends his team lead in that category. Villanueva also had a theft.
- Senior Brian Donley (Chicago, Ill.) pitched well in relief of Villanueva. He threw a career-long 4.1 innings and scattered three hits while walking none. Only one run came in and was unearned. Donley struck out two.
- Junior Cole Morden (Arlington, Texas) and sophomore Kyle Gamez (Buda, Texas) pitched the final three innings, with Morden going two and giving up two runs (neither earned).
- Law was the lone Bulldog with a multi-hit afternoon, going 2-for-4. He and Keaton Bohrmann scored two runs each. TLU did not have an extra base hit.
- The batters in the 5-8 spot in the lineup recorded at least one RBI, with Schrade posting a pair.
- Cody Rimko earned the win through six innings of work. He allowed a run on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts in the quality start. Dylan Murrell found trouble in the final chance for UD. He allowed five hits and four runs after retiring just one Crusader.
UP NEXT
Dallas hosts the Comets from UT-Dallas on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.