Dallas Splits Doubleheader With ETBU
On a day in which the UD men's baseball team could have won both games of their doubleheader with the East Texas Baptist University Tigers, they had to be content with winning one as Dallas dropped the first game 7-8, but came back from behind in the second game winning 3-2.
Junior Austin Cooper (Afton, OK/Afton H.S.) gave up 7 runs, 5 earned, on 8 hits while walking two batters in two plus innings. Freshman Austin Laux (Keller, TX/Keller H.S.) threw two scoreless innings giving up a hit while walking two batters in relief of him, and senior Joe Zimmermann (Woodstock, MD/Chapelgate Christian Academy) pitched two and two third innings, giving up two hits and one earned run while walking a batter and notching two strikeouts. Zimmerman induced 5 ground outs and 1 fly out. Junior Phil Carkhuff (Marietta, GA/The Lovett School) came in with two outs in the sixth inning and struck out the last batter.
Starting rightfielder Adam Farris (Flower Mound, TX/Liberty Christian H.S.) led the offensive attack by going 3-3 with a double, an RBI, 2 steals and 3 runs scored. Starting first baseman Michael Morrison (Dallas, TX/Lake Hill Prep) went 3-4 and scored a run. Designated hitter Chase Cooper went 2-4 while scoring a run and knocking in another. Sophomore centerfielder Brian Shelburne (Portsmouth, RI/Portsmouth H.S.) collected a hit and knocked in two runs. This was a tough loss for Dallas as they fell just short of winning in the bottom of the seventh.
Sophomore righthander Michael Byers (Front Royal, VA/Seton Home School) started the second half of the doubleheader and pitched well giving up just one earned run on three hits while striking out three and walking none. Byers induced four groundouts and six fly outs. Sophomore righthander Michael Schweiss (Parker, CO/Chaparral H.S.) relieved Byers in the fifth inning, ending the inning with a strikeout. After striking out the first batter of the sixth inning, Schweiss surrendered a solo home run. The big right-hander recovered and struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
Dallas scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Adam Farris led off the inning by tripling on a hard hit ball to right field. The next batter, sophomore catcher Varea Costello (Anchorage, AK/ South Anchorage H.S.), earned a five pitch walk. That brought up centerfielder Brian Shelburne. Shelburne fouled off the first two pitches on good swings, watched a ball, and then fought off another pitch. On the fifth pitch of the at bat, Shelburne laced a ball to left centerfield, bringing in Farris. Leftfielder Nico Caluda (New Orleans, LA/Jesuit H.S.) came up to the plate next and did his job by hitting a sacrifice fly to the leftfielder, knocking in Costello. This brought up lone senior, shortstop Sean McSheffery (Woodridge, IL/Downers Grove North). McSheffery showed his experience by executing a sacrifice squeeze bunt which brought in Shelburne from third base. This gave Dallas a 3-2 lead. Freshman Michael Morrison (Dallas, TX/Lake Hill Prep) reached on a throwing error which advanced him to second, but senior David Rettinger grounded to third base to end the inning.
Dallas Coach Fraser Holmes then brought in righthander Phil Carkhuff in the one run, save situation. Carkhuff did not disappoint his coach, putting down the Tigers in order, 1-2-3. Carkhuff induced a ground out, a fly out, and then struck out the third batter with a beautifully placed breaking ball on the outside of the plate. Carkhuff earned his first save of the season, while Schweiss earned his third victory of the season.
Dallas must recover quickly as they face the Dallas Christian College Crusaders on Wednesday afternoon for another doubleheader. The first game begins at 2:00 pm at Crusader Field in Irving, TX.