Box Score
The Dallas Baptist University Patriots Baseball Team improved to 33-14 for the season on Thursday night at Patriot Field as they defeated the Utah Valley University. Junior Ryan Enos hit a walk off, game winning homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Patriots the win over the Wolverines, 15-14.
Starting pitcher Sophomore Jared Stafford pitched four and two thirds innings allowing eight runs on 12 hits while striking out six. Freshman Ben Palmer pitched one inning in relief allowing six runs, five earned and one unearned, on eight hits before Senior Kevin Aduddell added a scoreless one and one third innings, then Freshman Ryan Behmanesh finished out the win. Behmanesh pitched two scoreless innings in relief allowing only one hit and striking out four wolverine batters as he picked up the win improving his record to 1-0 for the season.
Leading the Patriots at the plate was Sophomore Jason Krizan who had an outstanding night going 4 for 4 on the night, hitting a “natural cycle” (in order: single, double, triple, homerun) to help lead the Patriots in the win. Krizan also batted in five on the night.
The Wolverines opened up the scoring as they put up a single run in the top of the first inning off of Stafford to take an early 1-0 lead.
The Patriots responded by scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning. Junior Ryan Enos led off the inning with a walk to reach base, and Junior Travis Meiners reached after being hit by a pitch. Then Sophomore Jason Krizan and Senior Brandon Bantz hit a pair of RBI singles to take a 2-1 lead, scoring Enos and Meiners. Krizan scored for the third run of the inning on a Junior Ryan Thompson sacrifice fly before Senior Trevor Head hit a two run homerun over the wall in left center field to extend the Patriot lead and leave the score, 6-1.
DBU added a single run in the bottom of the second inning when Meiners hit a solo homerun over the left field wall to leave the score, 7-1.
The Wolverines managed three runs in the top of the third inning off of Stafford.
The Patriots came back in the bottom of the fourth inning to score three runs. Meiners led off the inning with a walk, then scored on a Krizan RBI triple to right field. Bantz pushed Krizan across on a sacrifice fly for the second run of the inning. Thompson reached on a single to center field, stole second, then scored on a Knight double to leave the score, 10-4.
Utah Valley bounced back in the top of the fifth inning as they forced Stafford off the mound scoring five runs in the inning. The Patriots answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning by a Krizan three run homerun before the Wolverines rallied to score another five runs in the top of the sixth inning to take the lead, 14-13.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Patriots managed a single run to tie the game, 14-14. Krizan reached after being hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and advanced to second base on a Bantz sacrifice bunt. Thompson then singled to center field, scoring Krizan on the play.
Behmanesh struck out the side in the top of the inning before Enos led off the inning by crushing a walk off, game winning homerun over the wall in right center field to secure the victory for the Patriots, 15-14.
The Patriots are back in action at Patriot Field tomorrow as they welcome Utah Valley University for the second game of the three game weekend series. The first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
