THE LEAD
In game one of a three game series on the West Coast, Dallas Baptist claimed a 4-1 win over the University of San Diego on Friday night at Fowler Park.  On a night where runs were at a premium, DBU starter, Joseph Shaw, earned his second win of the year, throwing six innings and allowing just one run, while striking out four.  Leading 3-1 in the ninth, a Tagg Duce blast to left cleared the wall for his first career home run and staked the Patriots to a 4-1 lead and allowed Brandon Koch to close the door on the San Diego in the ninth, retiring the Toreros in order to earn his second save of the season.
 
The Patriots (5-0) jumped on San Diego in the second inning when a Trooper Reynolds double plated Duce from second to put DBU up 1-0.  Two batters later, Drew Turbin delivered an RBI single to make it 2-0 Patriots. 
 
In the third, Justin Wall ripped a double off the wall in left and would advance to third on a one out single by Duce.  With two out and runners on the corners, Wall came home to score on a wild pitch by San Diego starter, David Hill.
 
In the bottom of the third, USD (1-4) tacked on their lone run of the night when Austin Bailey drove in Riley Adams on an RBI single to center, cutting the Patriot lead to 3-1. 
 
The score would remain the same for the next five innings, as both pitching staffs settled in.  The Patriots struggled to get to Hill after the third, as the right-hander retired the last seven batters he faced, before turning the game over to reliever, CJ Burdick.  Coming out of the pen in the sixth inning, Burdick proceeded to retire the first nine Patriot batters he faced.
 
With Shaw out of the game after six solid innings, DBU turned to Drew Smith in the seventh and eighth innings.  The junior right-hander would surrender just two hits and a walk, before handing the reins over to Koch in the bottom of the eighth.  With two outs and the tying run standing at first base, Koch got James Bonds to ground out to first to end the San Diego threat.
 
Following the solo home run from Duce in the Patriots' ninth, Koch struck out the side in order in the bottom of the ninth, earning the preseason All-American his second save of the year and extending DBU's win streak to five.
 
DBU HEAD COACH, DAN HEEFNER – ON THE PITCHING PERFORMANCE TONIGHT
"Joseph Shaw threw like a Friday night guy tonight.  Of his 18 outs, 10 of them were on groundballs and we had some great defensive plays behind him.  Camden Duzenack had a couple of phenomenal plays.  Drew Smith came in and did a good job and then what else can you say about Brandon Koch, he's been big time for us out of the pen."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
1 – Number of earned runs Joseph Shaw has allowed in 12 innings this year.
16 – Batters retired in a row by USD pitching before Tagg Duce's home run.
3 – Hits tonight by Tagg Duce.  Also his third multi-hit game of the year.
 
UP NEXT
DBU and San Diego meet in game two of the series on Saturday at 4:00 pm.  Landon Wilson (0-0, 1.93 ERA) gets the baseball for the Patriots and goes against the Toreros' Gary Cornish (0-1, 1.35 ERA).