Crusaders Complete Sweep of MUW

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas baseball team won both games of their double-header against MUW on Sunday, completing the sweep and improving to 6-7 overall on the year.

GAME 1 - Dallas 4, MUW 3

WP: Marcelo Carrillo II (2-0)

LP: L. Clark (0-1)

Unlike Saturday's game, game two of the series was a nail-biter.  After three scoreless innings, the Crusaders finally broke the deadlock on a bases-loaded walk.  They would leave the bases loaded, however, as the Owls escaped the inning allowing just one run.

The Owls took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on a couple of timely hits, only for Dallas to tie it up in the bottom of the inning thanks to a two-out error by MUW's second baseman.  

Adrian Montenegro left the game after five innings of work, allowing two runs on six hits, though he was nearly spotless through four innings.

Graeme Williams followed him on the mound and put in three solid innings of relief, striking out five batters and allowing just two hits.  Both of those hits came in the seventh inning, however, and the Owls managed to scrape across the go-ahead run off an otherwise dominant Williams.

The Crusaders were held scoreless in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, but came out swinging in the ninth.  After a lead-off walk by Jake Amoroso and a base-hit bunt by Tyler Darnell, Brett Castillo smashed a hard single through the left side to bring home Amoroso and tie up the game.  With no outs and runners on first and third, the Owls intentionally walked Caleb Hohman to set up the force out at any bag.  Up stepped Fernando Davila, who clobbered one of the longest singles you'll ever off the left field wall to bring home Darnell and win the game for UD.

It was his first hit of the game, but couldn't have come at a better time.

Hohman was 3-for-4 in the game, with the Crusaders' only extra-base hit.  Marcelo Carrillo II picked up his second win of the season, coming in to throw a scoreless ninth.

GAME 2 - Dallas 13, MUW 1 (7 Innings)

WP: Dominic Gill (2-1)

LP: L. Cox (0-1)

Dominic Gill was nearly untouchable through five innings of work on the mound.  He nearly got out of the first 1-2-3, but a misjudged, hard liner to center that resulted in a double followed by a hard liner down the left field line that skipped off the outstretched, diving glove of Amoroso put the Owls up 1-0.

The Crusaders responded quickly, though it was very little of their own doing in the first inning.  They scored three runs without a single hit in the inning, instead benefitting from four walks, a hit batter, and an error to get their runs across.

It wouldn't take long for them to get hitting, however, as they tacked on two runs on four hits across the second and third innings.  The Crusaders enjoyed a steady stream of production, scoring in every inning.  They burst for four runs on three hits in the fourth, and three runs on two hits in the sixth to make it 13-1.  Donnie Dycus and Cortez Saenz each threw a scoreless inning of relief to seal the deal and complete the sweep for Dallas.

Castillo went 3-for-4 with two RBI in the game to finish the weekend 6-for-10 with five RBI.  Hohman was 4-for-8 with four walks, three runs, and an RBI for the series, and Austin Birkhoff was 6-for-9 with two doubles and six RBI.

Up Next

The Crusaders homestand continues next weekend, as they host Blackburn College (Ill.) for three games.  The series will start on Friday, March 10 at 2:00 p.m.