THE LEAD
A Daniel Sweet two-run home run in the seventh inning broke a 3-3 tie and helped lift Dallas Baptist to a 5-4 win over Wichita State on Saturday afternoon at Horner Ballpark.  Brandon Koch notched his second win of the season and recorded six strikeouts over the final two innings to close out the Shockers and cap off a 41-11 regular season for the Patriots (41-11, 15-6).
 
DBU freshman right-hander, Dalton Higgins, was solid on the mound in the first start of his career, allowing just one run over five innings of work.  After Higgins allowed a two-out double by Sam Hilliard in the third inning that scored the game's first run, DBU's Justin Wall threw Hilliard on a close play at the plate when Ryan Tinkham singled to left to end the inning. 
 
Wall would respond at the plate then in the bottom of the fourth off of Wichita State (24-31, 10-11) starter, Chase Williams, when he hit his ninth home run of the year to tie the game at one apiece. 
 
Tied 1-1 into the home half of the fifth, a high-chopper over Chase Rader at third resulted in a double for Camden Duzenack and brought home both Nash Knight and David Martinelli to put the Patriots up by two.
 
The Shockers would answer with two runs of their own in the top of the sixth when Nash Knight made a diving stop on a sharply hit ground ball to third, but the throw to first skipped past Chane Lynch and allowed two runs to score and knot the game at three.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, a lead-off double by Daniel Salters off of Wichita State reliever, John Hayes, opened the door for a Patriot rally.  With Salters at second and one out, Daniel Sweet lifted a 1-1 pitch over the wall in center field for his first career home run in a Patriot uniform and put DBU back up by two.
 
With the Patriots holding onto a 5-3 lead, DBU closer, Brandon Koch, worked a scoreless seventh and eighth inning, before surrendering a solo home run in the ninth to Hilliard, who blasted his third home run of the series.  Following the solo blast, Koch walked Ryan Tinkham to put the tying run on base.  With one on and only one out, Koch bared down to strike out Mikel Mucha and Tanner Dearman to close out the game.
 
DBU HEAD COACH, DAN HEEFNER – ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TODAY'S WIN
"This was a big one for us today to finish off the regular season with a win, especially with how we played yesterday.  It just gives us a good sense of confidence going into next week with a win."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3 – The Patriots are just three wins away from tying the school record for the most wins in a season since DBU joined the NCAA Division I ranks in 2004.  The 2004 team holds the record with 44 wins.
11 – Dalton Higgins, Sean Stutzman, and Brandon Koch combined to strike out 11 batters today.
48 – With two home runs today, DBU  finishes the regular season with 48 home runs.

UP NEXT FOR THE PATRIOTS
DBU travels to Wichita, Kansas, for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, where they open against Indiana State on Wednesday.