THE LEAD
It was a grind for the DBU Patriots (25-11, 5-1) in Terre Haute, Indiana, in the opening game of a Missouri Valley Conference series against Indiana State (23-14, 4-3), but they got just enough from their offense to back a stingy pitching performance in a 3-2 win over the Sycamores.  Dalton Higgins (4-2) picked up the win in relief of starter Colin Poche and Seth Elledge pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his eighth save of the season.  The Patriots scored two runs in the first and one in the eighth for their league-leading fifth win in the conference season and both Poche and Higgins wiggled out of jams in multiple innings to minimize damage by the Sycamore offense.
 
It did not take long for the Patriot offense to give Colin Poche a lead.  With two outs in the first, Daniel Sweet laced a single up the middle off Indiana State starter Ryan Keaffaber and, one pitch later, DBU had a 2-0 lead as Darick Hall deposited his 14th home run of the season over the right-centerfield wall.
 
The Patriots kept their two-run advantage until the fourth inning when the Sycamores were able to push across a run to cut the lead in half.  Poche threw a scoreless fifth inning but ran into trouble in the sixth. The Sycamores opened the frame with a single ahead of back-to-back walks that loaded the bases.   With the sacks full, Dan Heefner went the bullpen and brought Dalton Higgins to the mound.  Higgins induced a soft double-play ball to short that allowed the tying run to score but stranded the go-ahead run with a strikeout of pinch hitter Clay Dungan.
 
The Sycamores threatened again in the seventh with a leadoff double off Higgins.  The sophomore righthander pitched out of a jam once again by getting an out on a sacrifice bunt and then recording the final two outs of the inning on a foul popup to first followed by a dazzling play at second by Luke Stratman on a slow roller.
 
With momentum provided by their pitching staff, the Patriot offense finally came back alive in the eighth.  Connor Hall led off the inning with a single to left and Tim Millard moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt.  That brought Jameson Hannah to the plate who had yet to put a ball in play against Keaffaber in three at bats.  Facing a steady diet of breaking balls, Hannah finally got one in fair territory and laced a single back through the box to give DBU a 4-3 lead.  That ended the day for the Sycamore starter as Greg Kuhlman, another lefthander, came to the mound and halted the Patriot charge.
 
Much like many of the later innings for the DBU pitching staff, the ninth was not a cakewalk for Elledge. After a leadoff single by Clay Dungan, Kyle Moore would enter the game as a pinch-runner and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt.  With the tying run in scoring position, the Patriot closer reached back and got a strikeout of Chris Ayers on a fastball and then induced a first-pitch flyball to close it out.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU has won the series opener in all three of their conference series.
- Dalton Higgins has gone seven consecutive appearances and 14.2 innings without allowing a run.
- Seth Elledge has converted eight of nine save opportunities this year.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
14 - Darick Hall now has 14 homeruns on the season, good for second-most in the nation.
1 - Number of hits for both teams with runners in scoring position.
2 - Double play groundballs induced by Dalton Higgins in three innings on the mound.
 
UP NEXT
DBU and Indiana State meet in game two of the series on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m.  Darick Hall starts on the mound, as the Patriots look to claim the series over the Sycamores.