Gents Battle Past Crusaders on Saturday

Gents Battle Past Crusaders on Saturday

SHREVEPORT, La. - The University of Dallas baseball team dropped two games with Centenary on Saturday as the Gents were able to secure the series win. Centenary posted 23 runs off of 30 hits on the day to win the doubleheader. UD was in the first game all the way until the end. The Gents then grabbed four runs in the eighth to slide past Dallas in Game One. In Game Two UD had 10 runs and 10 hits, but unfortunately the Centenary offensive was hard to stop as they were able to walk-off in the ninth.


(Game 1 Information)

Team Scores: Dallas (5), Centenary (11)

Team Records: Dallas (12-10, 1-4 SCAC), Centenary (11-12-1, 3-2 SCAC)

Pitcher Records: W) Connor Cudd (3-2), L) Jamie Wallace (3-2)

Jordan Stickler (Grand Rapids, Mich.) led off the first how he knows best, with a single and a stolen base. Joseph Vondrachek (North St. Paul, Minn.) advanced him to third with a groundout to third. Nathan Patton (McKinney, Texas) then drove in Stickler with a sacrifice fly to the left fielder to bring across the first run of the game. Centenary stopped the damage there after striking out the final man to leave two men on base. Zachary Taylor (Humble, Texas) got the nod to start Game 2 of the series. He rolled up a double play to get out of the first after hitting a batter. CC then grabbed a double play of their own in the top of the second to keep UD off the scoreboard.

Taylor used his great defense behind him by rolling Centenary up for the second double play of the game in the Gents half of the second. Josh Abalos (Lewisville, Texas) started the third with a leadoff triple to right center. Vondrachek allowed him to score with a sacrifice fly to centerfield. After going up 2-0 Taylor shut down the Gents in order to head to the fourth inning.

Luke Boylson (Fairview, Texas) blasted his fourth homerun of the season in the Dallas fifth. Down 3-0, Centenary finally challenged in the fourth frame. The Gents got men on first and third to begin the inning.  Preston Ludwick then stole second to put two men in scoring position with one out. Taylor got a foul out and a ground out to escape the inning without any damage.

Andy Purpura finally settled down in the fifth after he gave up a two-out hit to Stickler but picked him off at first to get out of the inning. Charli Allbritton singled and later advanced to second on a groundout. He then successfully stole third. Andrew Russell drove in the first run for the Gents after he doubled to left field. Dallas held them in check the rest of the inning to head to the sixth up 3-1.

The Gents then threatened once again in the sixth as the first two batters reached base. Ludwick and Cody Crowder then pulled off a double steal. The Gents got another run across after a wild pitch by UD. With two outs in the inning, the Gents capitalized on two Dallas errors to go onto score three more runs and find its first lead of the game.

UD scored twice in the seventh frame thanks to Paul Scioli (Lubbock, Texas) and Abalos both hitting base knocks with runners on base. The game was tied at 5 heading into the Centenary half of the seventh. Crowder singled. Ludwick then drove him in with a triple to left center. Tyler Welch also drove in a run in this inning. UD had baserunners on second and third with nobody out, but Centenary pitching shut the door and kept UD from scoring in the eighth. Tyler Ericson gave the Gents insurance with an RBI to open the inning and then the flood gates opened up for Centenary. Ludwick hit a bases clearing double to score three runs. UD then was unable to get any momentum going in the pivotal ninth inning as the Gents would go on to tie up the series at one game a piece.  

Peterson and Abalos both had a two-hit game. Peterson had a double, while Abalos grabbed a triple. Five different Crusaders each had an RBI. Stickler, Vondrachek, and Patton all swiped a base.

Taylor pitched 5.2 innings, giving up five hits and just two earned runs. Jamie Wallace (Crockett, Texas) and Tyler Montemayor (Boerne, Texas) both came in relief on the mound.

Ludwick led the Gents with a 4-5 effort at the plate. He drove in four RBI and was a homerun away from the cycle. Andy Purpura pitched 6.1 innings giving up six hits and five runs. Connor Cudd finished out the game giving up no hits and no runs.


(Game 2 Information)

Team Scores: Dallas (10), Centenary (12)

Team Records: Dallas (12-11, 1-5 SCAC), Centenary (12-12-1, 4-2 SCAC)

Pitcher Records: W) Connor Cudd (4-2), L) Kyle Neel (0-2)

Game Two got started with Dallas earning first and second after a hit by pitch and a walk. Jessup Scott (Lewiston, Idaho) knocked in both runners with a single to right field. Andrew Magness (San Antonio, Texas) started on the bump for UD. He got around a two-out double and walk to keep Centenary scoreless.

UD loaded up the bases in the second inning. With two outs, Abalos and Patton both drew walks to bring two runs across in the second inning. Magness then stranded a runner at third in the Gents half to send UD to the third up 4-0. Centenary got on the board in the third after a groundout brought a runner home. UD responded by notching a run of their own in the fourth.

With two outs and nobody on the Gents produced their biggest inning by putting a three-spot on the board after Chris Haggard, Ludwick and Crowder all drove in runs. Nicolas Hovde (Waco, Texas) joined in on the offensive attack when his double and RBI put Dallas up 6-5 heading into the bottom of the fifth. Russell capped off a two-run fifth for the Gents with a double to left to put CC back in the lead.

Scioli doubled to left to allow Scott to score in the sixth frame. Hovde then notched his first triple on the season to right field as two more Dallas runs came into score. In the eighth Centenary kept on pushing forward offensively as they tied up the game at 10

In the top of the ninth Dallas got a hit but was unable to get any runs across as they game went to the bottom of the ninth. With one out and one on Haggard then smacked a walk-off homerun to left field to push Centenary past Dallas.

Scott and Hovde both produced three hits to lead UD. Scott drove in two RBI, while Hovde notched three. Hovde was a homerun away from the cycle. Scioli was 2-3 with a double. Stickler swiped another bag in this game. Magness, Jaylen Camarillo (Georgetown, Texas), William Bresnahan (Windham, N.H.) and Kyle Neel (Houston, Texas) all pitched for UD.

Ludwick was 5-5 at the plate with two RBI and two doubles. Russell was 2-3 with 2 RBI, while Haggard drove in three men and had the walk-off homerun. Centenary used seven pitchers to secure the win.


UP NEXT

Dallas will host No. 8 Texas Lutheran University next weekend (Mar. 30-31). It will all get underway on Saturday with a doubleheader slated to start at 12:00 p.m. The series will wrap up on Sunday with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.