THE LEAD
No. 18 Dallas Baptist opened their Missouri Valley Conference schedule with a 10-6 win over the University of Evansville on Friday night at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville, Indiana.  The victory marks the eleventh straight for DBU (17-2) and matches the 2004 team for the school's second longest win streak since the program joined the NCAA Division I ranks in 2004. 
 
Leading 10-1 going into the tenth inning, the Patriots had to turn to closer, Brandon Koch, to hold off an Evansville (8-9) comeback, as Koch struck out Jonathan Ramon with the bases loaded to preserve a four-run win.  The save was Koch's fifth of the season, as the junior right-hander has now struck out 21 batters of the 28 outs he has recorded this year.
 
A brilliant start from Joseph Shaw highlighted the Patriots' win.  Shaw worked six innings and allowed just one run while striking out six.  With the victory, Shaw improves to 4-0 on the season and lowered his ERA to 1.71.
 
Scoreless into the top of the third, DBU struck first when Drew Turbin grounded out to bring home Trooper Reynolds with the game's first run.  Two innings later, Reynolds would blast his team-leading fifth home run of the year, as the Patriots' designated hitter sent a shot over the left field wall. 
 
With a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth, Shaw surrendered his only run of the night when the Purple Aces' Stewart Nelson single to center field to drive in Max Foley.
 
Leading by one into the seventh, Drew Turbin hit a towering three-run homer over the fence in right off of Evansville starter, Connor Strain, to give DBU a 5-1 adavantage.  Turbin would be the last batter Strain would face, as he gave way to the bullpen.
 
After Conor Gilligan got out of the seventh, Evansville's James Ward allowed four more Patriot runs in the eighth, as Nash Knight extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a two-run single, while Chane Lynch and Camden Duzenack each delivered RBI base hits.
 
Another run in the ninth made it 10-1 in favor of DBU, before the Purple Aces struck for five runs in their final at bat. 
 
DBU HEAD COACH, DAN HEEFNER – ON THE OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION TONIGHT
"Our offensive production has really been a result of us being solid one through nine in the lineup and we were able to put together tough at bats through the order tonight.  I think our production this year in the middle to late innings has been a result of us being able to wear a team down with good at bats all the way through the order."
 
DBU'S JOSEPH SHAW – ON BOUNCING BACK FROM HIS LAST START TO EARN THE WIN TONIGHT
"I just got back to work after that outing and it was extra motivation to come back out and do the things I was able to do in the previous starts.  I worked extra hard this week to get back out there and get my timing back down and locating my pitches."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
4 - Number of RBI's by DBU's Drew Turbin.
5 - Total RBI's from 7-9 in the Patriots' batting order (Trooper Reynolds, Chane Lynch, & Nash Knight).
19 - Tagg Duce has now reached base safely in all 19 games this year.
1 - One more win will match the longest win streak in DBU's Division I history.
 
UP NEXT
DBU and Evansville meet in game two of a three game series on Saturday at 2:00 pm.  Cory Taylor takes the hill for the Patriots.  Fans can follow all the action on the Patriot Broadcasting Network with the Warm-Up Show beginning at 1:25 pm.