Crusaders Clinch Series with Double Header Sweep of Austin

April 13, 2024

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas baseball team won both games of their conference double header against Austin College on Saturday, improving to 18-11 on the year and 6-7 in conference play.

Game 1

Dallas 5, Austin 3

WP: Adrian Montenegro (6-1)

LP: Brant Stuber (0-1)

SV: Dominic Gill (2)

After both pitchers cruised through the first two innings, Austin was the first on the board thanks to an unfortunate series of events.  Ashton Cason hit a sharp grounder to the left side that appeared destined for the glove of shortstop Andrew Gaspar for what would have been a relatively routine play, but having just made a stellar diving play the previous inning, third baseman Fernando Davila laid out for the ball and deflected it off his glove past Gaspar for a base hit.

Cason later came around to score on a two-out single by Tino Ramirez to give the Roos a 1-0 lead.

There was no funny business when the Roos scored again in the fourth, as Ryan Padfield gave Austin a 3-0 lead with a two-run homer.  Dallas began their comeback in the bottom half of the inning, as David Saldana put the Crusaders on the board with an RBI single to make it 3-1.

Adrian Montenegro (pictured) settled into a groove after the fourth, holding the Roos scoreless for the next four innings.  He would leave the game with eight strikeouts and three earned runs allowed in eight innings of work.  

And thanks to the offense, he left the game with a lead as Dallas tacked on runs in the fifth and sixth, then took the lead with a two-RBI single by Saldana in the bottom of the seventh.  

Dominic Gill took the mound in the ninth and set the Roos down in order and notch his second save of the season, snapping the Crusaders six-game losing streak in the process.

Game 2

Dallas 4, Austin 3

WP: Dylan Krause (6-1)

LP: Trystan Mallory (1-6)

Dylan Krause set his first six batters down in order before slipping up ever so slightly in the third, but held Austin scoreless on one hit with four strikeouts.

Caleb Hohman opened the scoring with a towering solo homer down the left field line, his fifth of the season.  

Austin played some small ball and came up with a timely two-out hit to plate two runs in the fourth and take a 2-1 lead, then added one more in the fifth on a two-out RBI double to make it a 3-1 game.

Dallas answered right back in the bottom of the fifth, taking full advantage of three walks and coming up with two base knocks to plate three runs for what would be the final lead change of the game as they went up 4-3.

Krause seemed to find another gear entirely as he mowed down the Roos for the rest of the game, allowing just two baserunners over the next four innings.  He would end up going the distance for the first time in his career, striking out 11 while scattering six hits across nine innings on 115 pitches.

The series will conclude tomorrow with a single game at 1:00 pm.