DALLAS, Texas – The Dallas Christian College baseball team dominated in a doubleheader sweep on Friday to open a four-game series against Baptist Bible College. The Crusaders outscored Baptist Bible, 29-2, in the twinbill with six combined innings of three runs or more in the series.
Game one was highlighted by a six-run first inning which featured two no-doubt homers over left field by
Marcos Franjul and
Cooper Ness.
Ness would go yard in game two, as DCC erupted for 14 runs over the first three innings and batted around in each one to secure at least a split on the weekend.
Game 1 Recap (W, 14-1)
This game opened with a crucial call that impacted the results of the first inning. With one out and a runner on second,
Stefon Reyes hit a fly ball to left center field. The center field for the Patriots made the run and appeared to be able to make the catch, however he never had control of the ball and the bobble eventually fell out. The runners had gotten to 2
nd and 3
rd. However, the umpires ruled it a catch initially and called DCC lead-off hitter,
Travis Whitehurst, out for not tagging. After the umpires reviewed it with each other, they determined that the ball had not been caught, but called it dead and had the runners stay at first and second.
Franjul sent a 1-1 pitch way back over the wall. All runs that would come in eventually were unearned, because Whitehurst had started the game reaching on an error as well. After
Josh Freeman walked, Ness belted his second of the year. DCC batted around in the first inning, as a sixth run would come in. Franjul rocked his fifth round-tripper of the year, and the pair of blasts were the only two hits for DCC that frame.
In the third inning, the Crusaders put five runs up to make it a double-digit advantage. This time they did bring the hits, as Ness doubled and
Carlos Torres had doubles. Freeman led off the inning with a single through the right side, and Whitehurst beat out a play at second. Torres' two-bagger was a two-RBI hit that had made the game 9-1 at the time.
DCC rounded out the scoring with three runs in the fourth.
Joel Stone and
Casey Morrow hit back-to-back singles to start the inning and Torres walked to load the bases for the top of the order. DCC proceeded to manufacture the next three runs on an RBI groundout, error, and sacrifice fly.
Stone would score three runs to lead all players in that category.
DCC was actually outhit 11-8 in this game, but starter
Collin Patten navigated the traffic and picked up his fifth win of the campaign. The ace of the rotation has gone at least seven innings in five outings, including the last three. Patten walked one and struck out four.
Baptist Bible was led at the plate by Tate Wheeler with a 3-for-4 game and a double and triple. The Patriots are a first-year program and had two pitchers combine for three innings in the route.
Game 2 Recap (W, 15-1)
It was another game of early offense. The Patriots got on the board with a run in their first turn to bat. Carter Campbell knocked a single up the middle to plate Wheeler, who had another multi-hit game with a double. Three of the Patriots' five hits were doubles, but the DCC starter
Ryan Bailey only really had trouble in that first inning. He escaped with just the one run allowed and his offense picked up again right away.
Franjul got the game knotted with a sacrifice fly, and then Ness scorched a home run to left center for a three-run shot. Gustavio Silverio rounded out the scoring with a two-run double. DCC sent nine batters to the plate that inning.
In the second inning it was like de ja vu, as another five-spot went on the board against a second Baptist Bible pitcher. An error and two walks loaded the bases. After an out, a wild pitch scored the first run and then Reyes singled through the right side to score Manny Valenzuela. A couple more walks got the eighth run home and then the last two runs came in on a throwing error. DCC had 10 batters come up in the frame.
In the third inning, DCC matched that total for batters coming up with 10 as Valenzuela led off with an infield hit and would later make the last out of the inning. Between that though was four runs by DCC. Franjul ripped a double into right field to score two runs, including
Brandon Andrews from first base.
Jaylen Camarillo lined a hit the other way for a run. Silverio would hit into a double play for the first two outs, and even then DCC got a run as Reyes came in.
The final DCC run was a single down the left field line by Andrews as
Noah Snelson came in to score. The Crusaders totaled 10 hits and had four of them for extra bases. Franjul, Camarillo, and Silverio picked up a double apiece. Franjul and Ness finished with three RBI and a trio of players scored three runs for team-highs. That unit was Snelson, Valenzuela, and Reyes. The first two in that list were at the top of the DCC order. DCC walked 13 times.
Bailey was able to give DCC pitching its second complete game on the day with seven innings. He worked around five hits and the first-inning run. He walked and struck out four with a hit batter. The right-hander would improve to 3-3 on the year and tossed 106 pitches in the outing.
Landry Delgado led the Patriots pitching with the final three innings thrown and just a run allowed. BBC had used a pitcher in each of the first three innings.
Dallas Christian wraps up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader slated for 12 p.m.
"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."
