Crusaders Finish Off Dallas Christian Sweep
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas – The University of Dallas baseball team swept a pair of scheduled seven-inning games at Dallas Christian College on Saturday afternoon. The pair of wins gave the Crusaders their second three-game sweep of the 2018 season.
For consecutive games, the offense for UD produced double-digit totals in runs (11) and hits (16) to claim the opener on the day. Josh Abalos (Lewisville, Texas) drove in four runs, while Nathan Patton (McKinney, Texas) notched his second 4-for-5 performance on the year.
Dallas trailed by three in the second game, but the bats came to life from the fourth through sixth inning with eight unanswered runs to polish off the three-game win streak.
(Game 1 Information) (Final 7 innings)
Team Scores: Dallas (11), Dallas Christian (7)
Team Records: Dallas (11-20), Dallas Christian (4-25)
Pitcher Records: W) Wallace (2-2), L) Benza (0-1)
After boasting a season-high in runs on Friday to start the series in Irving, the Crusaders appeared to pick things up right away in the top of the first. Jordan Stickler (Grand Rapids, Mich.) singled and stole second base to secure the sixth spot on the all-time list (47) An RBI single by Abalos plated the center fielder. A steal by Abalos on ball four to Jessup Scott (Lewiston, Idaho) set up a sacrifice fly to center by Mark Peterson (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Dallas Christian College countered with three runs in the next half inning to take the early lead. Despite only two infield singles by the Crusaders that frame, the home team was able to take advantage of two hit by pitches – one gave Gabe Benza an RBI with the bases juiced – and a wild pitch that scored Michael Arnold. Adriel Davila drove in the third run, which was the only time the ball had been put in play.
Stickler got the game back even with a sacrifice fly of his own in the second. Patton then doubled to center field, which scored Abalos.
A single to left center by Benza knotted the contest a final time, before the guests erupted for five runs in the third.
Seth Hanson (Apache Junction, Ariz.) singled to left center to break the deadlock. Abalos then doubled down the right field line to clear the bags that had been full of Crusaders to make extend the edge to 8-4. Patton's RBI-hit through the left side finished the scoring that inning.
Jamie Wallace (Crockett, Texas) steadied the defense with 2.2 shutout innings and one hit allowed. The left-hander struck out four hitters, as he earned the win in relief. Four pitchers toed the rubber for Dallas, with the last three lefties combining for the last 6.1 innings. Nick Goehring (Phoenix, Ariz.) and William Bresnahan (Windham, N.H.) were the other arms that followed Wallace, respectively.
The Crusaders added a run on an error in the fifth to stretch the largest lead of the game to six. DCC clawed back to within 10-7 thanks a run in the fifth and two in the sixth, but Scott drove in Stickler in the seventh on a grounder to first to provide the last run scored by either side.
Patton matched his personal-best hitting performance from the series opener with No. 20 Centenary College (March 16th) to give the Crusaders their second four-hit display in two games. Peterson achieved the 4-for-5 mark on Friday. Abalos contributed the next highest amount of his with three.
Stickler and Abalos – the top two batters in the lineup – combined for six runs scored with three apiece. Joseph Vonrachek (North St. Paul, Minn.) came home twice and ripped the third and other double for the visitors.
The Crusaders combined for five stolen bases to match a season-best a third time this year, with Abalos swiping two. Besides Stickler, Hanson and Vondrachek also contributed to the feat. The other two games were against Mississippi University for Women (Game 1 Feb. 10) and Texas Wesleyan (Game 2 Mar. 3).
Peterson, Luke Boylson (Fairview, Texas), and Michael Ilardi (Atascocita, Texas) each registered 2-for-4 games. The trio batted fifth, sixth, and seventh in the batting order.
Lindly tied the game-high total three runs scored. He was also 3-for-4, as the team totaled seven hits. Benza drove in three runs, and hurled five innings of relief. He did take the loss, as he allowed eight runs (7 earned) on 12 hits.
(Game 2 Information) (Final 7 innings)
Team Scores: Dallas (8), Dallas Christian (3)
Team Records: Dallas (12-20), Dallas Christian (4-26
Pitcher Records: W) Magness (1-0), L) Davila (0-1)
Dallas Christian grasped the lead by scoring first for the first time all series with two runs in its first turn to hit. Cruz Barrea doubled to right field to score Cameron Henderson, and Benza singled in Barrera the next at bat for the early lead.
LaMarcus O'Neal sent a line drive that carried over the right field wall in the third inning to push the score to 3-0.
Windy conditions on the afternoon made most fly balls an adventure for the defenders.
UD was held to the minimum the first time through the batting order. Two base runners recorded hits the first time through the order, but were called out on the base paths. Batter's interference in the first inning putout Stickler trying to steal, and then Maximilian Costello (Anchorage, Alaska) got caught stealing in the third.
Stickler doubled to right field and Patton traded places with the leadoff hitter to get the road Crusaders on the board in the fourth. Two batters later Boylson singled to center to help Dallas nip the deficit to a run.
Another pair of runs the next inning for UD flipped the one-run difference to its favor at 4-3. Patton smacked the key hit again with a base knock finding the hole on the left side again to score Costello, who led the frame off with a hit through the right side. A dropped fly ball to deep center that would have been the last out allowed Patton to score the go-ahead run.
Andrew Magness (San Antonio, Texas) – working his second inning – hit O'Neal with one out. A stolen base and advance to third on an errant throw put the tying run 90 feet away in the next half inning. Magness struck out Davila swinging and induced a grounder by Barrera to hang onto the slight advantage.
Magness ended up winning his first collegiate game, as his escape act turned the momentum at that juncture for Dallas. The Crusaders offense pounded four runs on five hits – all with two outs – to propel them to a comfortable lead in the sixth. Freshmen hitters at the bottom of the lineup, Costello and Vondrachek, reached on singles and each came up with a steal. The order turned over and the top three guys picked up RBI base knocks. Stickler beat out an infield single at short for the first run. Patton singled in a familiar spot of the field again, and Peterson dropped a double down by the right field line to score the last two runs.
Abraham Griesbauer (Troy, Mo.) closed the game out with two scoreless innings.
A trio of hitters matched game-high performances (3-4), with Patton's three runs driven in and runs scored standing out. Stickler and Costello were the other hitters to etch the numbers. These three were the only hitters for UD with multi-hit games.
Dallas only edged the home Crusaders by one in hits, 12-11. DCC committed two errors, while the guests made that one in the potentially stressful inning.
O'Neal, Henderson, and Arnold recorded two-hit games. Davila tossed 5.2 innings in the start. He allowed all eight runs (7 earned) and 12 hits in the start. His outing included five strikeouts and no walks.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Finals | #UDCrusaders sweep two, 7-inning games at Dallas Christian on Saturday! | @UDallasBaseball #GoUD #UDBASE #d3b pic.twitter.com/plzBU7NTSJ
— UDallas Athletics (@UDallasSports) April 15, 2018
UP NEXT
Dallas travels to No. 1 Trinity on April 21st-22nd. First pitch of the doubleheader on Saturday is at 1 p.m., while the finale the next day is also slated for 1 p.m.