13K's Headline Big Pitching Performance; Baseball wins 3rd Straight Sunday
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – There was no comeback needed Sunday for the University of Dallas baseball team. After rallying back with unanswered runs to take leads in its final at bats the past two nights, including Saturday's extra inning walk-off; Dallas never trailed and claimed its third straight victory in the "Rusty Greer & Jackie Moore Collegiate Classic" with a 6-3 final.
The Crusaders were the lone team out of six participants to go 3-0 at AirHogs Stadium and achieved their latest triumph over Hardin-Simmons University. This ended a three-game slide in head-to-head matchups with the previous victory coming on a neutral professional ballpark, Dr. Pepper Stadium, nearly two years ago.
GAME INFORMATION
Team Scores: University of Dallas (6), Hardin-Simmons University (3)
Team Records: Dallas (4-2), Hardin-Simmons (1-2)
Pitching Records: W) Voss (1-1), L) Ritzel (0-1), S) Gamez (1)
NOTABLE STATISTICS
- The Crusaders' pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts. The trio included Conrad Voss (Corona, Calif.), William Bresnahan (Windham N.H.), and Kyle Gamez (Burleson, Texas).
- The last time Dallas posted at least this many Ks was March 19, 2011 at Southwestern University (15).
- Three players for the opponent combined to strikeout 10 times. Colton Parker had four and Kyle Johnson and Elijah Perez took three apiece.
- Voss made his 2nd collegiate start and posted a quality start and had personal bests for innings pitched (6.2), hits (3), runs (3), earned runs (1), and strikeouts (8).
- Gamez earned his 1st career save by tossing the remaining two innings. He fanned four overall for a personal best in his second year with UD.
- The six runs scored were a season most in six games for Dallas. UD had 8 the previous two nights combined.
- Four was the amount of hits, errors, and stolen bases Dallas notched.
- JP Fasone (Englewood, Colo.), Nathan Patton (McKinney, Texas), Colby Davenport (Crocket, Texas), and Josh Abalos (Lewisville, Texas) recorded knocks. Patton's double was the only extra base hit of the game.
- Seth Hanson (Apache Junction, Ariz.) ended his hitting streak at four, but reached on one of the team's eight walks to keep his reached base streak going for all five games played.
- Anthony Beasley led Hardin-Simmons with three hits and was credited with both RBIs. Dylan Sweeney had the other multi-hit game as the Cowboys finished with six knocks.
- HSU committed two errors.
- Colt Ritzel was saddled with the loss. He threw 2.0 IP and allowed four runs (3 ER) on one hit in the start. He also walked four and fanned three.
- Andrew Hernandez tossed three scoreless frames of relief, and Chandler Carter fanned two in the last two innings of the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jordan Stickler (Grand Rapids, Mich.) started the game with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Fasone. The team leader in steals swiped third and scored on a sacrifice fly to center to give Dallas the early advantage.
The Cowboys responded with an unearned run scored in the bottom half of the inning. A one-out fielding error by Fasone allowed Garrett Buckner to reach. He would steal second and advance to third on a wild pitch, before scoring on another fielding error by the UD shortstop.
In the second inning, the Crusaders retook the lead with a pair of runs. Patton clobbered the lone base hit of the frame, as he followed a leadoff Luke Boylson (Fairview, Texas) walk with a double to left field. Paul Scioli (Lubbock, Texas) flew out to right and scored Boylson on the sacrifice fly. Patton had moved up 90 feet to third on the same play, and would score as Davenport reached on an error by the left fielder. Saturday night's hero raced all the way around to third on the miscue. The 3-1 lead was the first time since 4th inning of game two vs. Sul Ross State University that UD held a lead by more than one run. Dallas would strand Davenport as the next two batters struck out looking.
In an error-filled contest that had six, Dallas got some more help from the Cowboys' defense to extend the advantage to 4-1. Fasone reached on a leadoff walk and stole second. A failed pickoff attempt moved him to third and then a wild pitch on ball four to Hanson scored the senior.
The turning point of the game possibly came in the 7th. Abalos singled to short and Stickler walked. After a pitching change, the speedy duo both moved into scoring position on a balk. Dallas then played small ball on consecutive successful suicide squeeze bunts by Fasone and Hanson to push the lead to five.
Hardin-Simmons did not go quietly the final three innings. In the 7th, two runs were answered back to cut the score 6-3. UD's Voss had retired eight in a row since the 5th and had two outs in the 7th. However, after a groundout and 8th punch out of the night, consecutive walks and a hit by pitch spelled trouble. Anthony Beasley singled to short on an RBI and Taylor Cooling added the second run on a throwing error.
Making his collegiate debut and facing the tying run at the plate, Bresnahan fanned Colton Parker looking to end the threat. He was the 2nd Lefthander for UD to go with.
Gamez finished the contest and kept the strikeouts rolling with two in both the eighth and ninth to capture his first career save. HSU threatened with Sweeney hitting a one-out single through the right side. After a balk, a foul out to 3rd was made. Sweeney moved to third on a wild pitch, but Gamez got Perez to whiff.
In the 9th with one gone, Cooling slid head first into first base and beat out an infield single to third. He took second on a wild pitch but was thrown out in a rundown trying to move to third for out number two. Two more Cowboys reached bringing Colton Parker to the plate. He earned the sombrero as Gamez dialed one final punch out to give Dallas a 3-0 weekend at AirHogs Stadium.
UP NEXT
Dallas plays another trio of games at a neutral site from February 17-19. Millsaps College will host the Millsaps Tournament during that stretch. The Crusaders take on Rhodes College at 12 p.m. on the first day.