Baseball Bats Around with 2 Outs in 9th; 8 Runs lead to Walk-Off on Wednesday 13-12
IRVING, Texas – Down to its last out in the ninth inning trailing 12-5, the University of Dallas baseball team charged back with eight-straight batters reaching base to come-from-behind and win 13-12 on Wednesday over Dallas Christian College. Nicolas Hovde (Waco, Texas) pinch hit to start the huge ninth and made an out. The home Crusaders batted around and the freshman dropped a deep hit ball just fair down right field and legged out a game-tying triple. On the very next pitch, he scored the game-winning run on a passed ball that allowed UD to dogpile a third time on the campaign from a walk-off.
GAME INFORMATION
Team Scores: Dallas Christian College (12), University of Dallas (13)
Team Records: Dallas Christian (0-0), Dallas (9-18)
Pitching Records: W) Provence (1-0) L) Carrell (0-0)
NOTABLE STATISTICS
- Paul Scioli (Lubbock, Texas) tied a game-high in hits with a 3-for-5. He homered twice and drove in three runs. Scioli is the first player to record a multi-homer game since the school's record holder, Zach Atkins, clubbed three out in a single game against Blackburn on April 18, 2009.
- Hovde and Scioli each had a trio of ribbies, and Seth Hanson (Apache Junction, Ariz.) brought in a pair.
- Brice Cell (Keller, Texas), Josh Abalos (Lewisville, Texas), and Zach San Roman (Miami, Fl.) collected a pair of hits each.
- Jordan Stickler (Grand Rapids, Mich.) swiped the team's only stolen base attempt and scored three runs. It is the third time this year the team leader in runs scored has crossed the dish at least that amount of times.
- Dallas reached double-digits in base hits for the sixth time this year (14) and that output was the second highest behind its season-mosts at Austin College with 16.
- The 13 runs mark the third time the Crusaders have been in double figures and was also one shy of that 14-3 win a little over a week ago in Sherman. Another mark one shy from the Austin College matchup was total amount of RBI. On Tuesday Dallas drove in 11.
- Colby Davenport (Crockett, Texas) made his first career start. In his second outing of the season, the typically starting outfielder threw three shutout innings with no walks.
- Brandon Provence (Fairview, Texas) got the win by pitching a scoreless ninth in his second season appearance.
- Overall the home team ran eight pitchers out to the mound.
- Dallas Christian matched its run's column with its hits' column at 12 each.
- Cameron Charman and Gabe Benza were two players that also recorded a trio of hits each. The duo each scored twice.
- Nick Carrell launched a home run and drove in three. Austin Holbrook added two knocks with both counting for doubles. He also scored twice and notched two ribbies. The visiting Crusaders had five doubles combined.
- Anthony Esposito allowed a pair of runs on six hits through five innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Dallas started out the game with a run per inning in the first three frames. It appeared that the home squad was going to at least repeat that when Enrique Vigil (San Antonio, Texas) smacked a single to center and scored Nathan Patton (McKinney, Texas) that started the rally in the ninth.
Prior to that, the visiting Crusaders appeared to have control in this one, as a pair of six-run innings in the sixth and seventh propelled them to a 12-3 advantage.
Davenport drew the mid-week start for UD and threw three no-hit innings while allowing just two baserunners. In the bottom of the first, the Crusaders scratched a run across with no hits needed. A pair of walks and balks created the first run of the game. Stickler led off with a walk and then stole second. He moved to third on a balk and after a strikeout Hanson walked to put runners on the corners. Then prior to the second punch out of the frame, a balk advanced the runners 90 feet and Stickler had his first run scored. Overall there were four balks for DCC in the contest – all occurred within the first three innings. The next two of balks were in the third. Stickler again was the beneficiary with advances to second and third. Hanson lifted a sacrifice fly to center and got the RBI.
Up 3-0, Dallas went through two relievers in unfazed innings. The guests had punched hits in each, but then a combined nine hits happened in the sixth and seventh. In the first six-run inning, Dallas Christian pounded a trio of doubles, with the first and second counting for a two RBI on each. That nipped the gap and lifted DCC to a 6-3 edge.
In the next top part of the inning, the visiting Crusaders had another six-spot ready. This time only three hits got clobbered, but consecutive catcher's interferences were issued. The second was with the bases loaded and allowed a run to cross.
UD responded with a run in the bottom half of the seventh to get one back. In the next home half, Scioli hammered a fly ball over left field to make it 12-5. The starting right fielder had another one as part of the miracle ninth inning rally. With the first two Crusaders making outs, Patton dropped a double in down left field. From there the Navy and White had eight straight guys reach.
Vigil etched his first career RBI, and then Scioli turned on another pitch for a long ball to erase the margin 12-8. Cell singled to center and Joseph Griesbauer (Troy, Mo.), who pinch hit the previous inning, drew a walk. After a pitching change, Abalos singled to between the pitcher and third to juice the bases. Stickler was plunked by a pitch to drive Cell in and cut it to 12-9. Still with two outs Carrell, who was Dallas Christian's third sacker, stepped on the mound. Hovde fell behind 0-2 but battled the count back full. After a foul ball, the outfielder connected on his second hit of the season in less than a week and cleared the bags knotting the game at 12. The next pitch glanced off the catcher's glove, and Hovde crossed home for his first run of his career and was met with a mob by his ecstatic teammates.
The Crusaders improve to 2-0 against Dallas Christian this season, as both contests at home were one-run thrillers.
UP NEXT
Dallas returns to the road and plays a non-conference series this weekend at LeTourneau University on April 1-2. First pitch of the doubleheader on Saturday is at 1 p.m.