Dallas Drops Saturday's Doubleheader to LaGrange College
LAGRANGE, Ga. – The University of Dallas baseball team dropped two games to LaGrange College in its doubleheader on Saturday. Ross Lowe (Lewisville, Texas) picked up two runs batted in with a double, but the Panthers took a 7-0 lead, and never looked back as LaGrange took game one 8-2 with a four-run seventh and 14 hits in the game. In the second game of the doubleheader UD took an early 1-0 lead after Zachary Taylor (Humble, Texas) drove in Nathan Patton (McKinney, Texas) with a single to center field. LaGrange then scored 18 unanswered runs in six innings off of 18 hits and limited UD to just four hits in the contest.
(Game 1 Information)
Team Scores: LaGrange College (8) Dallas (2)
Team Records: LaGrange College (7-4) Dallas (7-2)
Pitcher Records: W) J.R. Robinson (4-0), L) Conrad Voss (3-1)
Trey Pearce drove in the first run on the day with a sacrifice fly to left field to put the Panthers up 1-0. Conrad Voss (Corona, Calif.) got around a leadoff walk in the second inning to stay out of danger. A fielding error gave LaGrange another runner in the third, but Voss picked off a runner and got the last man to strike out. LaGrange threatened again in the fourth by getting two runners on, but Voss got his groundout pitch to work again to get the final out and keep the margin 1-0. Dallas hit into an inning-ending double play with two runners on the base paths as UD was unable to put a run on the board through five innings.
LaGrange grabbed another run in the fifth via a sacrifice fly once again to go up 2-0, but UD got out of this inning after the runner was caught stealing. The Panthers once again gained another run with a sacrifice fly this time to left field. LaGrange kept the threat on with a double down the left field line in the next at bat, but Voss drew up his groundball pitch to get out of the inning. UD was unable to get any offensive rhythm in the seventh, as the Panthers took advantage of this and finally broke the game wide open. LaGrange scored four runs in this inning off of five hits.
In the Dallas eighth, Christian Wheatley (Austin, Texas) opened up the inning with a single through the left side. Nicolas Hovde (Waco, Texas) then doubled down the left field line to put two runners in scoring position with nobody out. After a pitching change,Lowe doubled down the right field line to score two Dallas runners. UD was unable to push any other runs across in the inning. LaGrange added a run in the eighth and got three-straight groundouts in the top of the ninth to take game one.
Wheatley and Lowe led Dallas with 2-3 efforts at the plate. Lowe drove in two runs, while Wheatley and Hovde score the two Crusaders runs. Hovde also drew the only Dallas walk. Hovde and Lowe both had doubles in the contest. Lowe had the one stolen base for UD. Voss pitched 6.2 innings, allowed seven earned runs, 12 hits, and two walks, but did strikeout seven batters. Jaylen Camarillo (Georgetown, Texas) pitched 0.1 innings and allowed just one walk and one hit. Matthew Celetano (Keller, Texas) finished the game on the mound with one inning of work. In his pitching debut, he gave up one earned run, one walk, and one hit.
Jake Schwartz (Geneva, Ill.) made his season-debut while Anthony Maldonado (Del Rio, Texas) made his collegiate debut in this game.
LaGrange, who is currently receiving votes in the latest D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 list, was paced by Rhett Mixon and Joe Ruth who both had three hits in the game. E.J. Churchill drove in three RBI. LaGrange had four doubles in the first game of the day. J.R. Robinson struck out seven batters in seven innings. He allowed five hits, two earned runs, and one walk. Tanner Chafin came in out of relief in the final two innings. Chafin allowed just one hit in his stint on the mound.
(Game 2 Information) (F/7)
Team Scores: LaGrange College (18) Dallas (1)
Team Records: LaGrange College (8-4) Dallas (7-3)
Pitcher Records: W) Dalton Brooks (1-1), L) Graeme Williams (1-1)
Joseph Vondrachek (North St. Paul, Minn.) walked in the first inning with one out. Patton then singled to left center. Taylor put Dallas up 1-0 early with his single to center field to help bring around Vondrachek. LaGrange would get the final two batters to strikeouts to limit UD. LaGrange fought back in its half to take a 2-1 lead after timely hits led to a couple of runs. LaGrange took this 2-1 lead and never looked back as they went on to score 16 more runs in five innings, including a four-run fourth and sixth inning. The Panthers held the Dallas bats in check, allowing just four hits all game and two free bases.
Patton notched two of the Dallas hits in this game on three trips to the plate. Vondrachek and Hovde each drew a walk in the game. Graeme Williams (Frisco, Texas) got the start on the mound allowing 10 hits, eight earned runs, and two walks. William Bresnahan (Windham, N.H.) pitched two innings of work, allowing five runs off six hits. Austin Offutt (Frisco, Texas) came in out of relief for the final inning. Offutt gave up four runs and two hits. Matthew Celenatano (Keller, Texas) and Offutt each made their season-debuts on the day
LaGrange was led by Jack Layrisson and Cael Chatham who both had three hits and three RBI. The Panthers grabbed 16 RBI in this game along with two doubles, a triple, and a homerun. Dalton Brooks pitched five innings, allowing just one run off four hits along with nine strikeouts. Tyler Harris pitched the final two innings and put zeros across the board.
UP NEXT
Dallas and LaGrange will play the series finale tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. (CST)