Box Score

A Dallas Baptist come-back attempt in the ninth inning fell one run short, as the Patriots dropped a 6-5 affair at Indiana State on Friday night at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute, Indiana.  Down 6-0 entering the top of the seventh, DBU (27-14, 6-4) scratched a run across in both the seventh and eighth innings to pull within four.  A Camden Duzenack bases loaded triple brought the Patriots to within one ,before Mike Wesolowski flied out to deep center field, giving Indiana State (27-13, 8-5) the win in game one of a three-game conference series. 

With the loss, the Patriots now find themselves in third place, one game behind Evansville for first in the Missouri Valley Conference.  Indiana State moves into second place, a half game in front of DBU.

Making his eleventh start of the season, Patriot right-hander, Paul Voelker, was touched for six runs on seven hits in five innings of work.  Indiana State got to Voelker in the bottom of the first, when Brian Romero hit his first homerun of the season, a three-run blast that lifted the Sycamores to an early 3-0 lead. 
Indiana State padded their three-run lead with one run in the fourth.  In the bottom of the fifth, Voelker hit Mike Fitzgerald with one out, sparking a Sycamore rally.  After a throwing error by Wesolowski ,in which the first baseman's throw to second base on a ground ball pulled Trevin Sonnier off the bag, Indiana State responded with RBI singles from Jeff Zahn and Connor McClain.

DBU had chances early to cut into the Indiana State lead.  In the third inning, the Patriots left Drew Turbin stranded at third base.  After leading off the inning with a single and then advancing to third base on a throwing error by Sycamore starter, David Stagg, the lefty responded with back-to-back strikeouts and induced a Duzenack popup to second base to get out of the inning.  In the fifth, DBU would miss another scoring opportunity when KJ Alexander grounded out to short with two outs and runners at first and second.

"I thought our guys showed a lot of resiliency battling back late, but we needed that kind of effort from the start of the game,"  DBU Head Baseball Coach, Dan Heefner remarked following the loss.  "The missed opportunities both at the plate and in the field need to serve as a learning experience for us and we have to come out and be better tomorrow."

Stagg earned the win for Indiana State.  The junior left-hander worked seven-plus innings, striking out 10 while allowing two runs on five hits and three walks.  Ryan Keaffaber came in the ninth to get his conference leading ninth save of the season.

DBU and Indiana State meet tomorrow afternoon in game two of the series.  First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm.