UD Baseball Loses Season Finale to Chapman
In their final game of the season the Dallas baseball team surrendered an early 5-2 lead and lost 9-6 to the fourth ranked Chapman University Panthers in front of the home crowd.
Despite two Chapman runs in the top of first inning off of starter Philip Carkhuff (Marietta, GA/The Lovett School), the game started out well for UD. In their half of the frame they managed to score 4 runs when sophomore centerfielder Brian Shelburne (Portsmouth, RI/Portsmouth H.S.) led off the inning with a walk. After moving up to second on freshman Nico Caluda's (New Orleans, LA/Jesuit H.S.) ground out, Dallas had their first duck on the pond. Senior second baseman Sean McSheffery (Woodridge, IL/Downers Grove North) was then hit and UD was in business with one out. Shelburne subsequently advanced to third on a wild pitch and sophomore infielder Michael Morrison (Dallas, TX/Lake Hill Prep) reached on an error by the shortstop. Shelburne scored on the play, McSheffery advance to third, and UD was in business down 2-1 with one out. Freshman outfielder Adam Farris (Flower Mound, TX/Liberty Christian H.S) then doubled in McSheffery to make it 2-2, and Dallas wasn't done. Junior infielder David Rettinger (San Antonio, TX/Central Catholic H.S) followed the double with an RBI single that plated Morrison and Dallas had their first lead of the series, 3-2. Sophomore catcher Varea Costello (Anchorage, AK/South Anchorage H.S.) then reached on a fielder's choice but Farris was out at home on the play. With two outs freshman infielder Trevor Allred (Anchorage, AK/South Anchorage H.S.) kept up the scoring with an RBI single to centerfield bring home Rettinger before the third out was recorded with Dallas in the lead 4-2.
In the second and the third innings the Crusaders shut out Chapman, and after Farris hit a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the third, Dallas held the 5-2 advantage. Chapman then scored 7 times over the next three innings, including 3 unearned runs in the fifth, and UD was not able to score again until the bottom of the ninth inning when freshman infielder Blake Elkins (Beaumont, TX/Monsignor Kelly Catholic H.S.) singled to right field, advanced to second on a groundout, and scored on Caluda's base hit.
At the plate the Crusaders were led by Farris and Allred. Farris had 2 extra base hits and 2 RBI, and Allred had a double, a single, and an RBI. Also driving in runs in the season finale were Caluda and Rettinger.
Sophomore righty Michael Schweiss (Parker, CO/Chaparral H.S.) came in to relieve Carkhuff (Marietta, GA/The Lovett School) on the mound after two outs were recorded in the fifth inning, and over three innings he allowed no Chapman runs and only gave up one hit while striking out 4. After a rocky start giving up 2 first inning runs, Carkhuff settled down before allowing the Chapman run in the third, the 3 unearned runs in the fourth, and 3 earned runs in the fifth. In five and two thirds innings he recorded 8 strikeouts.
In his first season as the head coach for the University of Dallas baseball, Fraser Holmes led his team to a 14-25 record.