Dallas Grabs Two Wins at Sul Ross State University on Saturday to Open 2020 Campaign
(Photo Courtesy of Sul Ross State Athletics)
ALPINE, Texas – The University of Dallas baseball team completed the opening day sweep of Sul Ross State University winning Game one 8-1 and Game two 13-11. Dallas won the first two games to start the season for the first time since the 2012 season. UD scored 21 combined runs on the day off of 26 hits in an offensive flurry to begin the campaign. In Game One Zachary Taylor (Humble, Texas) led the Dallas offense with a 3-3 effort at the plate while driving in four runs. Conrad Voss (Corona, Calif.) pitched a six-hit complete game. In Game Two Andrew Womack (Vienna, Va.) blasted a grand slam and Taylor notched three more RBI to help the UD offense. Jamie Wallace (Crockett, Texas) came into pitch out of the bullpen to give UD pitching 5.1 innings and notching a career-high nine strikeouts.
(Game 1 Information)
Team Scores: Dallas (8), Sul Ross State University (1)
Team Records: Dallas (1-0), Sul Ross State University (0-1)
Pitcher Records: W) Conrad Voss (1-0), L) Sam Russell (0-1)
Womack notched the first hit of the season for the Crusaders in the second inning, but Sul Ross was able to get out of the inning with to end the Dallas rally. Voss got the nod to pitch game one and made his third consecutive opening day start for Dallas. Voss gave up a couple hits in the first two innings, but shut the Lobos down to keep it a scoreless game. Freshman Mavrick Martinez (Friendswood, Texas) led off the third inning with a double down the third base line. After UD later hit into a double play, Nathan Patton (McKinney, Texas) doubled down the left field line to help score Martinez for the first run of the game. In the very next at bat Taylor singled to right center to bring in Patton to give UD a 2-0 lead in the third frame.
In the fourth Sul Ross found some two-out magic. Richard Bailey hit a double and eventually made it to third on a wild pitch. Jett Hartley singled to left field to drive in a run for the Lobos and make it a 2-1 ballgame. The Dallas fifth began with a leadoff hit from Martinez once again. Joseph Vondrachek (North St. Paul, Minn.) then drove a ball up the middle to put Dallas runners on first and third with nobody out. With two outs Taylor singled to right field on the first pitch to notch two RBI and put UD up 4-1. Voss gave up one hit in the Lobos bottom half of the fifth, but struck out the final batter to advance this game to the sixth.
With a new pitcher just making his appearance for the Lobos, Ross Lowe (Lewisville, Texas) homered to left center on the first pitch. This is when the wheels started to fall off the wagon for the Lobos. A hit batter, a single, a fielding error that led to a UD run, and another hit by pitch followed the Dallas homerun. Michael Jaquez (Irving, Texas) knocked in a runner with his single through the left side. Taylor then continued his hot day at the plate by drilling a ball to right field for a double to bring in the eighth Dallas run of the contest. Voss then turned in a 1-2-3 inning to shut down the Lobos to send the game to the seventh inning. Voss allowed one hit and one walk in the final frame, but got the job done to gather the complete game on the mound.
Taylor paced Dallas with three hits in three plate appearances, four RBI, and a double. Nicolas Hovde (Waco, Texas) and Martinez both had multiple hits in the game as they both went 2-4 at the plate. Lowe blasted the first homerun of the season for UD. The Crusaders finished with 12 hits. Voss went the distance on the bump allowing just six hits and one walk, while gathering 12 groundouts five strikeouts.
Every Dallas hitter reached base in the game.
SOCIAL MEDIA
#UDCRUSADERS WIN!
— UDallas Athletics (@UDallasSports) February 2, 2020
Defeat Sul Ross State 8-1 (F/7) (Game 1)
- Taylor (3-3, 2B, 4 RBI, SB)
- Jaquez (1-3, 2 RBI)
- Martinez (2-4, 2B, R)
- Hovde (2-4)
- Ross (HR)
- Voss (WP, 7IP, R, 6H, BB, 5K)#WeAreUD #d3baseball #UDallas #UDBaseball pic.twitter.com/ed2mSz605o
(Game 2 Information)
Team Scores: Dallas (13), Sul Ross State University (11)
Team Records: Dallas (2-0), Sul Ross State University (0-2)
Pitcher Records: W) Jamie Wallace (1-0), L) Jaden Guerrero (0-1)
Dallas started Game 2 with a hot start. Vondrachek led off with a walk and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jaquez then bunted him over in the next at bat. Patton drove Vondrachek in with his single through the left side. The Lobos tied it up in the bottom half of the frame. Dallas left the bases loaded in the second and Sul Ross was able to take advantage of this as Jared Lorenz came all the way around to score after he led off the SRSU inning with a single. The Crusaders offense came alive in the seventh Vondrachek drove in Hovde with his single through the left side. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Taylor reached on a fielding error to put Dallas back in front (3-2). The very next pitch Womack blasted a grand slam over the left field fence to give Dallas a 7-2 lead. In the Lobos half, Sul Ross put up a four spot to make it a run game.
UD left the bases loaded once again in the sixth inning and Matthew Wheeler homered to left center to tie the ballgame at 7-7, but that was all the Lobos would get. Martinez walked in the seventh frame and stole second base. Patton eventually drove him in with a double to left center. Taylor kept the line moving when his single through the right side drove in two more Dallas runs. Two wild pitches in the eighth led to two more UD runs (12-7). Jaquez also notched an RBI in that same inning and UD looked to be rolling with a 13-7 lead with an inning left. SRSU gained back a run in the bottom half of the eighth, but still trailed by five runs heading into the decisive ninth inning.
UD stranded three men on base in the ninth, as Wallace stayed into pitch. Wallace came into the game in relief in the fourth inning and looked to send Dallas to the day sweep. SRSU wanted to have something to say about that as they grinded back. Dallas got the first two outs handily, but then Tim Johnson hit a solo shot for the Lobos. A Dallas fielding error, followed by a double and a triple pulled the Lobos closer (13-11). Wallace buckled down and got the final batter to fly out to center to help UD complete the day sweep to open the 2020 season.
Womack hit his first career homerun on the day with the grand slam. Patton had a 3-5 line with two RBI, while Taylor drove in three more RBI. Jaquez and Vondrachek both had a 2-4 outing at the plate in this game. Graeme Williams made his first career start for Dallas in this game. The Crusaders drew 11 walks in this game.
Lorenz paced SRSU with four hits in five trips to the plate. Wheeler drove in three runs. The Lobos used eight pitchers in this game.
SOCIAL MEDIA
#UDCRUSADERS WIN!
— UDallas Athletics (@UDallasSports) February 2, 2020
Defeat Sul Ross for sweep on the day! (13-11 F)
- Womack (HR, 4 RBI)
- Patton (3-5, 2B, 2 RBI)
- Taylor (3 RBI)
- Vondrachek (2-5, 3 R, RBI)
- Wallace (WP, 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 9 K)
- UD (14 H, 11 BB, 6 SB)#WeAreUD #d3baseball #UDallas #UDBaseball pic.twitter.com/bJu68rq5Lg
UP NEXT
Dallas and Sul Ross will conclude the series tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.