THE LEAD
Sunday afternoon proved to be a test in resiliency for the Dallas Baptist Patriots (27-11,7-1) at Bob Warn Field in Indiana and they passed the test with a quality effort from their bullpen and by forcing the issue on offense until they were able to string together enough hits to win handily, 10-5, against Indiana State (24-16, 4-5).  With the win, DBU completed a three-game sweep over the Sycamores in the weekend series in Terre Haute, Indiana.
 
Dalton Higgins earned the win with four fantastic relief innings and Austin Listi smacked two homeruns in the game, including a big blast in the fourth that put DBU back on top for good after an early back-and-forth affair.
 
For the third straight game against the Sycamores, DBU jumped out to a first inning lead when David Martinelli reached on a bunt single and Trooper Reynolds followed with a ringing double to right center. They added to that lead in the third inning on a bases loaded single off the bat of Luke Stratman, but left three on base to close the frame and saw Indiana State take advantage of the missed opportunity in the bottom of the inning.  The Sycamores plated two runs in the bottom half of the inning as a leadoff walk and an infield single came around to score to tie the game at two apiece.
 
The game remained tied until the fourth when some self-inflicted wounds cost DBU the lead.  Martinson opened the inning with two walks and the Patriot defense failed them when a likely out at third base on an attempted sacrifice bunt was dropped to leave the bases loaded with nobody out.  The final pitch from Martinson in the game hit Andy DeJesus to force in a run and the Patriot lefthander gave way to Dalton Higgins.  Higgins induced a double play ball from the first batter he faced that gave ISU a two-run lead and then allowed a single through the left side to push the deficit to three.
 
Higgins got the final out of the fourth on a flyout and the Patriot bats stormed back in the fifth.  Darick Hall was hit by a pitch with one out before Daniel Sweet singled to right.  Luke Stratman grounded out to move the runners up ninety feet and Garrett Wolforth scored both with a bloop to centerfield and DBU trailed by a run until Austin Listi sent a 3-2 pitch over the left field wall for his third homerun of the season and a 6-5 DBU advantage.
 
The Patriots threatened to take control of the game in the sixth inning, but squandered an opportunity with runners at second and third and nobody out with a popout, a strikeout, and a ground ball to third. They got the leadoff batter on again in the seventh when Stratman walked, but were unable to move him around after a sacrifice bunt.
 
The eighth inning was a roller coaster ride for the Patriots as it looked like they would put some cushion between themselves and the Sycamores early on in the frame when Hannah missed his second career homerun by inches to right center and ended up standing at third base with a triple and nobody out. Martinelli, the next batter, lifted a ball to left field that would have scored Hannah on a slide, but Indiana State appealed that the freshman left early from his station and the third base umpire agreed, leaving the score at 6-5.
 
It looked like that's where the Patriots would try to defend the final six outs, but Reynolds singled with two outs, Darick Hall walked, and Daniel Sweet once again played hero with a lined double over the head of the Sycamore centerfielder to score both.  Stratman followed with a single of his own to make it a four-run game as DBU scored three runs in the inning after two outs and nobody on base.
 
Higgins gave way to Gavin Fritz to start the bottom of the eighth after a yeoman's effort to keep DBU in the game until the offense could find a crack.  Higgins threw four innings in relief and allowed only the inherited runs to score when he came in with the bases loaded and nobody out.  He gave up no runs of his own and put up three straight scoreless innings before handing the ball to Fritz.
 
The Patriot bullpen received some more help from Listi in the ninth as he led off the inning with his second homerun of the game and fourth of the season. This was his second multi-homerun game in a Patriot uniform as the outfielder also slugged two against New Mexico State in Las Cruces in 2013.
 
With the win, DBU retains their hold on first place in conference play and sweep their second conference series of the season and fifth overall.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Dalton Higgins extended his scoreless streak to 17.2 innings.
- The sweep was the first time Indiana State has been swept at home since April 2011 when they dropped three straight to Creighton.
- DBU's 7-1 start in conference is their best start through their first eight games since they joined the MVC in 2014.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3 – Austin Listi collected three hits and drove in three runs on a day in which he hit a pair of home runs.
6 - Daniel Sweet finished the series 6-for-12 with four RBIs.
12 – David Martinelli's 12-game hit streak is the longest for any Patriot this year.

UP NEXT
The Patriots will return to Dallas on Tuesday night as they play host to TCU at 6:30 p.m. at Horner Ballpark.  Fans can purchase tickets online at DBUTickets.com.