DALLAS, Texas – The Dallas Christian College baseball team had a busy three-day stretch with doubleheaders on Feb. 18-20. On Friday, the Crusaders played two versus Central Christian College. Saturday was a round robin that had Park University and Central Christian in the morning and then DCC played Central first and wrapped up the day with Park. On Sunday, DCC had a twinbill with Park to finish things off.
We will recap each head-to-head series for the Crusaders. The first three games were against the Tigers of Central Christian. DCC won the first game on Friday, 2-1. It was similar to how the season-opening game with Austin College happened a week ago, where
Collin Patten tossed a gem and the offense scored the eventual winning run in the sixth inning.
Game two that day was the first loss the Crusaders suffered after perhaps the program's first-ever 3-0 start. DCC would then be up 8-1 in the final game between the two teams, but could not hold on late in a 9-8 setback.
Game 1: Central Christian (1), Dallas Christian (2)
The Crusaders went toe-to-toe with this NAIA opponent, as Patten hurled his second straight outing to allow one run. This time it was an earned run, as he surrendered a double to Sam Chavez in the third inning that scored Mason Seay.
Patten was brilliant again, as he worked around a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second inning. His final line was a complete seven innings, 1 run, 1 ER, 3 hits, 3 walks, and 5 Ks. He did hit a batter. Patten was able to force eight ground outs and threw 71 pitches in his second win of the early campaign.
The Crusaders outhit the Tigers, 6-3, and were in position to get on the board several times. DCC left two in scoring position with one out in the first two innings. DCC also had two left on in the third. The tension seemed to be mounting after a double play happened with a two men on base and one out in the fifth, but DCC broke though in the sixth.
The Tigers had made a pitching change, and
Josh Freeman singled through the right side to start things off.
Noah Snelson was the courtesy runner.
Marcos Franjul doubled down the left field line and Snelson was able to get home to tie the game.
Travis Whitehurst pinch ran for Franjul and he later scored on a wild pitch after advancing to third on the previous fly out.
Patten polished off the top of the seventh with two ground outs and a swinging strikeout sandwiched between.
Freeman and Franjul each produced 2-for-3 games, while
Zeke Humek and
Stefon Reyes had the other base knocks. Humek swiped a stolen base.
Central Christian was led by Tristan Castern with the start, as he went five innings and worked around four hits and five walks.
Game 2: Central Christian (20), Dallas Christian (3)
After a 3-0 start to the season, the Crusaders were hit with a lopsided setback in the second game of Friday's doubleheader with a blowout. DCC committed 10 errors in the game and were down 13 after two innings.
Whitehurst,
Shane Clay, and Chris Bilbo each recorded an RBI, while
Cooper Ness had a hit and run scored.
On the pitching side,
Sean Hiller did not allow an earned run in 1.2 innings, while
Isaiah Gomez protected the bullpen with four innings and had the team's only four strikeouts.
Game 3: Central Christian (9), Dallas Christian (8)
On Saturday, the Crusaders appeared to be in a good position to take the second-of-three games to Central Christian by taking an 8-1 advantage into the top of the sixth. Things unraveled quickly as the home team allowed eight runs in the sixth and DCC could not answer in the next six outs.
DCC put a four-spot up in the first innings, as
Brandon Andrews tripled to center field to drive in Humek. Andrews would score on a hit by Freeman. The two-run blast by Franjul highlighted the powerful start.
Franjul displayed a great day at the plate with a 3-for-4 game and team-leading four RBI with two runs scored. Freeman was a perfect 3-for-3 and his courtesy runner, Whitehurst, scored as many times too. The Crusaders displayed their power with four doubles, two by Andrews and Freeman, and Andrews also had the triple mentioned earlier. DCC swiped four bases.
Central Christian had gotten a run back in the third, but the home team got it back in the bottom half. Franjul singled a run in the fifth, while Gustavio Silverio added the eighth run on a hit in that same frame as well.
Trevor Smith had worked five innings of one-run ball, and struck out six and not allowed a walk. He got into trouble in the sixth and
James Holiday could not prevent the damage from happening once the Tigers got on a roll. Seay had the big knock to end Smith's day with a two-base hit to left. That made things 8-4. When Holiday came in, he got a strikeout looking for the first out. The next four batters reached and it was a one-run game.
Gavin Chamberlain then entered to try and protect the one-run lead, and got a line-out to Reyes in right field for out number two. Sam Chavez would get the two-out hit to plate two runs and was out advancing to second, as DCC got out of the inning just down one.
DCC was able to do what it needed to get in a position to answer back with a one-out double by Andrews. Reyes and
Joel Stone struck out to end the inning.
Shane Dozier kept the score in the same spot with a runner stranded at second. DCC was unable to get
Carlos Torres past second, as Freeman was hit by a pitch to lead off the final frame.
Andrews, Freeman, and Franjul had nine of DCC's 12 hits, but the team did strikeout nine times.
Marshall Owens from Central Christian had five of them in his two-inning save.
"Dallas Christian educates and mentors students to be people of influence engaging in their calling to the work of Christ in the church and in the world."
