Box Score



The Dallas Baptist (11-9) offense tried to rally throughout the middle of the game Saturday against Sam Houston (9-9) but, in the end, a couple misplays in the field really cost DBU and they ended a six game winning streak with a 12-8 loss to the Bearkats at Horner Ballpark. The Patriots did win the series over the Southland Conference member by way of winning the first two games of the weekend but, Saturday, Cory Taylor (0-2) was handed his second loss as a freshman even though the Patriot offense collected 13 hits on the day, including three off the bat of Boomer Collins and two apiece from Jaime Garrido and RJ Talamantes. Collins made the contest a one run game with a big three-run homerun in the seventh and, one inning later, Ronnie Mitchell made a bid to tie the game with a solo shot but his ball glanced off the top of the wall and Mitchell was thrown out trying to stretch the play into a double. Sam Houston picked up 19 hits on the afternoon, only four of which went for extra bases.
 
The third and fourth innings were not kind to Taylor as the Bearkats sent eight batters to the plate in both frames and scored a combined eight runs on nine hits. Taylor was lifted with two outs in the fourth for Jay Calhoun, who threw 2.1 innings and allowed only one run on four hits.
 
Dallas Baptist tried to stay in the game with single scores in the third, fourth, and fifth innings. Jaime Garrido had two RBI in those innings and Ronnie Mitchell collected the other but, defensively, the Patriots allowed SHSU to pad their lead in the sixth inning with a misplayed ball in shallow rightfield that led to a 9-3 deficit heading to the bottom of the stanza.
 
The Patriots continued their single tally theme in the sixth as Austin Listi singled up the middle to score Michael Miller, who had doubled. That got back the run DBU gave away in the sixth inning and cut the deficit to five headed to the seventh inning as Patrick Hicks came on to pitch for the Patriots in relief of Calhoun.
 
Hicks was lifted after recording two outs with property on first and second, one of which reached on an infield error and the other a walk. Brandon Koch came on to face Anthony Azar, who had already homered in the game, and punched out the Bearkat backstop to end the inning and allow the Patriots to crawl back into the game. They did that in a big way in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
After three walks and a groundout to open the inning, Miller lifted a flyball to deep center with the bases loaded that scored Nash Knight, who had reached via fielder's choice. The next batter, Boomer Collins, got a fastball up in the zone from Bearkat reliever Michael Burchett and deposited it high on Victory Hill behind the Patriot bullpen for a three-run homerun to cut the SHSU lead to 9-8.
 
Ronnie Mitchell made an attempt to tie the game to start the eighth inning as he hit a drive just inches from the top of the wall in rightfield. The Patriot rightfielder was thrown out on the play at second base as he overslid the bag on a bang-bang play and, like that, the Patriot comeback hopes faltered. SHSU would put the game away in the ninth with three runs off Patriot reliever Blake Webster. Webster would actually strike out two to end the inning with the bases loaded and limit the damage but the price had already been paid.
 
Dallas Baptist will return to play, and to the road, on Tuesday as they travel to College Station, Texas, to take on Texas A&M in a single game. First pitch is set for 6:30 pm with the Patriot Pregame Show beginning at 6:05 pm with Brendan Smith and Reagan Ratcliff on the call.