Texas Lutheran earns SCAC Series Win over Crusaders Sunday
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas baseball team fell twice on Sunday to ultimately drop the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) opening series to Texas Lutheran University. The Bulldogs received a pair of complete game outings by starters. Dallas was topped in a two-run defeat in the postponed matchup from last night, and then blanked in seven innings to wrap up the weekend.
GAME 1 INFORMATION
Team Scores: Texas Lutheran University (3), University of Dallas (1)
Team Records: Texas Lutheran (9-7, 1-1 SCAC), Dallas (7-10, 1-1 SCAC)
Pitching Records: W) Killingsworth (3-1), L) Felchak (1-2)
NOTABLE STATISTICS
- Mark Peterson (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the Dallas offense with two hits and launched his 3rd home run (ties team-most) of the season. Peterson crushed the other extra base hit for a double.
- Nathan Patton (McKinney, Texas) and Jordan Stickler (Grand Rapids, Mich.) each extended hitting streaks to four.
- Colby Davenport (Crockett, Texas) and Josh Abalos (Lewisville, Texas) completed the home hits with one apiece at the bottom of the order. Abalos swiped the only steal by either side.
- Eric Felchak (The Woodlands, Texas) was saddled with the loss in 3.2 innings on the start. He allowed one earned run on four hits and matched his walk and strikeout totals with thee apiece.
- Abraham Griesbauer (Troy, Mo.) kept his scoreless innings streak rolling to 5.2 by throwing 2.2 innings of relief. He fanned two to give him five over back-to-back appearances in the series.
- Texas Lutheran's offense was highlighted by Andrew Whitten with a 3-for-4. He scored a run. Riley Schaefer drove in one-of-three runs and walked. The top three Bulldogs in the lineup earned a free pass.
- Thomas Varner tallied a double for the only visitor's extra base hit.
- Cade Killingsworth pitched a gem striking out nine in just as many frames. He scattered six hits and only allowed a run on the Peterson homer. Killingsworth did not walk a batter.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first three innings featured zeros on both squads. Then in the 4th it was an inning both team's got on the board. Texas Lutheran had a one-out single by Whitten up the middle. Sami Resendez singled to left and a mishandle by the outfielder allowed Whitten to move to third. Resendez advanced to second on a wild pitch. The next pair of Bulldogs up, Eric Rabinowitz and Cameron Wilson drove in runs to break a scoreless tie.
Dallas got out without any further damage, and then responded in the bottom of the frame immediately as Peterson clobbered a first-pitch dinger to left field.
The offense was limited in scoring chances most of the contest beyond that. Earlier in the second, Peterson had doubled down the left field line to start things. Patton singled through the right side and put runners on the corner, but three straight outs left the contest scoreless at the time.
An inning after Peterson's homer and 4th long ball hit at Crusader Field, Abalos singled up the middle. He stole second with two outs but was left. Other than that, 12-of-next-13 UD bats were retired by Texas Lutheran's starter. Only Davenport's single in the 7th ruined that stretch.
The Bulldogs did add an insurance run in the 7th on a sacrifice fly to center. Varner did get putout on an appeal to second for leaving early on the tag, but the additional run in front of him still stood since the time of the appeal.
GAME 2 INFORMATION
Team Scores: Texas Lutheran University (11), University of Dallas (0) (F/7)
Team Records: Texas Lutheran (10-7, 2-1 SCAC), Dallas (7-11, 1-2 SCAC)
Pitching Records: W) Drgac (3-0) L) Voss (1-3)
NOTABLE STATISTICS
- Dallas only had a pair of hits in the game.
- Five errors haunted the day and UD combined for eight in two contests.
- Stickler extended his hitting streak to five with one knock.
- Zach San Roman (Miami, Fla.) punched the other hit.
- JP Fasone (Englewood, Colo.) walked to reflect an on-base span of reaching safely in eight-of-nine. He also stole a base for the Crusaders.
- Zachary Taylor (Humble, Texas) fanned the 7th in relief for his lone inning of work.
- TLU's Dylan Drgac earned the win by tossing seven complete innings and limited the opposition to four baserunners. He struck out six.
- The team cracked a trio of doubles: Schaefer, Matthew Lemon, and Ben Marvin.
- Marvin led the squad with three RBI. Colby Schrade and Lemon added a pair of hits and ribbies. Schrade scored three times.
HOW IT HAPPENED
An early error in the first inning allowed the Bulldogs to claim an early advantage that never was relinquished. Lemon added a single through the right side to double the edge.
In the 3rd, a one-out double by Schaefer got the guests in position to play add on. Schafer moved to third after a wild pitch with the next batter up. Schrade was that hitter and he singled through the right side with the infield drawn in. Lemon doubled down the opposite line that the span of three base knocks in a row occurred in to make it 4-0.
Stickler singled in the bottom of the 3rd inning to give Dallas its first hit of the game and was the first base runner since UD started the contest with its top table setters reaching without an at bat. Neither mattered as the Navy and White could not cut into the margin after three innings.
A monumental 4th opened the flood gates as seven runs came across for the Bulldogs. There were four hits with Marvin's bases-clearing double over the left fielder's head punctuated the lopsided final. Dallas also committed three errors which led to all runs that frame being unearned.
UP NEXT
Dallas concludes a nine-game homestand on Wednesday, March 15, versus Millikin University. The non-conference doubleheader is slated for 12 p.m.