Baseball Opens Series with Win; Southwestern forces Split in 11-inning Thriller
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas baseball team provided plenty of highlights, especially on the defensive side of the ball in both games on Saturday versus Southwestern University. In the series opener, that strong defense coupled with eight runs and 14 hits aided the Crusaders in a big win behind a trio of players with three hits. This included Enrique Vigil (San Antonio, Texas) going deep twice and driving in three runners.
In the second contest, Dallas dropped an 11-inning thriller to the Pirates. UD moved to 1-1 in extra-inning games this season, and this was the first time the home team played at least 11 frames since that same amount on March 15, 2014, at Crusader Field against Centenary College. Before that, the most recent game to go longer was 13 frames on March 23, 2010 at Texas Wesleyan University.
GAME 1 INFORMATION
Team Scores: Southwestern University (2), University Dallas (8)
Team Records: Southwestern (16-14, 5-5), Dallas (12-19, 3-7 SCAC)
Pitching Records: W) Hammonds (2-4), L) Rice (4-4)
NOTABLE STATISTICS
-Vigil kept up his nice surge with a 3-4 and three runs-batted-in. That extended his RBI count at the time to 11 the past four games.
- The right fielder also posted the second multi-homer game this season and has three this week in consecutive games. Paul Scioli (Lubbock, Texas) is the other player to notch a multi-homer game from a few weeks ago and the duo are tied for second in round-trippers with three apiece.
- Nathan Patton (McKinney, Texas) posted his third contest of the campaign with three base knocks (second game in a row). Patton added an RBI and run scored.
- Jordan Stickler (Grand Rapids, Mich.) was the final member of the trio with three hits and accomplished the feat a third time as well. The team leader in runs scored crossed home twice.
- Seth Hanson (Apache Junction, Ariz.) produced the remaining UD multiple hit outing and tagged the other extra base hit (double). He matched Vigil with a game-high three ribbies.
- UD's 14 hits marked the second highest total against a conference foe, with the top number being 16 at Austin College (Mar. 19).
- Ryan Hammonds (Cedar Hill, Texas) delivered a quality start with seven innings of one-run baseball. He scattered five hits, walked one, and struck out five. This was the senior's fifth outing to fan at least five, but first to do so since March 11 against Texas Lutheran University.
- Southwestern was led by Ethan Widoff (2-3) and Cole Kelly (2-4) with multiple hit games. Ethan Hallmark and Cameron Cooper each drove in a run.
- All eight hits for the Pirates were singles. The guests swiped five stolen bases, which all occurred within the first two innings of play.
- Jeremy Rice was saddled having allowed three runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out four. Hayden Holley surrendered five runs combined in the last two innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Pirates took the early momentum as they claimed a 1-0 lead after their first at bat. Colby Schmidt walked to start the game and stole second as Hallmark struck out swinging. After the second out was made, Cooper dropped a single to left center for the RBI.
Dallas responded with the next five runs to lead the remainder of the game. A sacrifice fly out by Mark Peterson (Cincinnati, Ohio) knotted the contest in the second inning. He drove in Patton who singled up the middle to begin the frame. After advancing on a balk and then to third on a sacrifice bunt by Zach San Roman (Miami, Fl.); Patton was able to scamper home on a fly ball to center as Peterson claimed RBI number 17 overall.
The Pirates had left a runner in scoring position in each of their first two innings to bat, but were sat down in order in the third. In the bottom half, Dallas claimed the lead that would not be relinquished. Vigil belted a one-out home run over left field to propel the Crusaders ahead. Stickler followed with an infield single to shortstop, and then advanced to second as he was running on the pitch that Josh Abalos (Lewisville, Texas) put into play for a groundout. Hanson punched a two-out single to left field to put Dallas up 3-1.
Southwestern then left none on base over the next four innings as Hammonds held the Crusaders in front by the narrow gap at the time.
Holley entered for the visitors in the bottom of the seventh and was greeted with Brice Cell (Keller, Texas) lining out hard to short for the first out. Vigil and Stickler snuck through their respective third hits and moved into scoring position on an Abalos sacrifice. Hanson doubled to left center for two RBI and Patton chipped in a single through the left side to cap the two-out production.
Vigil delivered a two-run homer for some insurance in the eighth. It also put an exclamation point on his big game in fifth start out of the last six. Southwestern had scored its other run in the top part of the frame. William Marshall (Frisco, Texas) did complete the final two innings to secure the first win of the day for Dallas. Two of his strikeouts had the batter caught looking.
GAME 2 INFORMATION
Team Scores: Southwestern University (5), University Dallas (4) (Final 11 innings)
Team Records: Southwestern (17-14, 6-5), Dallas (12-20, 3-8 SCAC)
Pitching Records: W) Laird (1-0), L) Marshall (1-2)
NOTABABLE STATISTICS
- The top six hitters in UD's lineup recorded a hit apiece for the team's total amount.
- Patton contributed one to extend a season-long six-game hitting streak. He also had a steal and walk. Peterson was another with a base knock to continue a hitting stretch of five.
- Peterson and Scioli each had an RBI. Peterson has combined for a quartet over the past four games. Scioli has tallied an RBI in three straight contests and has six combined over his last five games played.
- Abalos drove in the other run and scored a game-high two runs. He also reached via a walk.
- JP Fasone (Englewood, Colo.) drew three walks and was the lone player to have multiple free passes. The team as a whole reached eight times via a walk.
- Dallas left 11 on base, and struck out a season-high 20 times.
- Colby Davenport (Crockett, Texas) made his third start in the last week and a half. He tossed four innings and allowed three runs (2 earned) on two hits.
- Abraham Griesbauer (Troy, Mo.) matched a season-long, five innings of relief and only allowed a run on two hits. 12 of the southpaw's outs were groundouts.
- Marshall had a tough-luck loss with a run allowed on three hits in two innings. Him and Davenport each had a strikeout.
- Comparably, the Pirates used four arms to combine for 20 punch outs. Will Preston etched nine in five innings. Austin Laird had five in 1.2 innings of relief while picking up a win.
- Southwestern posted three doubles for the team's extra base hits. Seven individuals had hits, with Cooper, Laird, and Bryon Dowdell III gaining the two-baggers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both offenses got on the board in the first inning and seven-of-nine runs from the final column occurred within the first four frames.
The Pirates for the second time in a row got on first. Schmidt walked and Hallmark singled through the left side. A fielder's choice on a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases. Davenport limited the damage as a double play groundout was the next result for Cooper's at bat.
Dallas immediately answered back with two in its first trip to hit. Stickler reached on a single through the left side. He has now reached base safely in the past 23 contests. After hustling to third on an errant throw from the pitcher on a pickoff attempt, Abalos drove him in by clobbering a single through the left side nearly identical to how Stickler's batted ball went through. Peterson added the other RBI with a single to left with two outs.
A pair of runs in the third pushed UD's advantage to the largest of the game, 4-1. Hanson singled up the middle to score Abalos, who started the frame on a walk. Two outs later on the next two batters, and then Scioli drilled a deep double down near the left field line that bounced up to the wall.
Southwestern countered with two runs in the next half inning to reduce the margin to one run (4-3).
The battle turned to the bullpens as Preston was summoned in the fourth and Griesbauer for Dallas in the fifth. Preston stuck out the first five batters faced and retired 10 in a row. The only hit the Crusaders had after the third inning was a Patton single in the eighth.
UD's lefty however, was matching him and at one point the Crusaders had retired 14 straight, with 12 from the junior. 10 of his outs during that span were on the ground.
The Pirates ended that stretch with a leadoff double in the ninth by Cooper. Daniel Montgomery lifted a sacrifice fly to right, but there was a close play at the plate on a good effort from Vigil.
Dallas, who had three walk-offs already this season, loaded the bases in the ninth and 10th frames with less than two outs. Unfortunately, both times the home team came up empty. The Crusaders left eight stranded from innings eight through 10.
Laird was called on in the 10th and followed a walk to load the bases with back-to-back strikeouts. He then started the 11th with a double just fair down left field. He scored on Jason McCormack RBI-groundout to first. He topped off his impactful day by striking out the side in the bottom of the inning.
UP NEXT
These teams play the rubber match tomorrow at 1 p.m.