THE RUNDOWN
No. 18 DBU Baseball used a two-run 8th inning to earn a comeback win over Arizona in the opening game of the Frisco Classic at Riders Park. With the win, the Patriots extended their program-best nine-game win streak to open the season.
DBU started the scoring early when
Alex Pendergast drove a leadoff home run over the left field wall.
Ethan Mann followed that up with a solo home run of his own in the second inning to put DBU up 2-0.
In the bottom of the third, the Wildcats made their move on DBU starter
Ryan Johnson, using an RBI single from Garen Caulfield and a two-run home run from Mason White to take a 3-2 lead.
Despite a rocky third inning, Patriots' ace
Ryan Johnson put together an impressive start, going 6.2 innings, giving up three runs while walking just one and striking out a career-high 14. Johnson now ranks eighth all-time in DBU history with 197 career strikeouts.
With the Patriots down by one in the eighth inning,
Ethan Mann led off with a single, and just one batter later,
Luke Heefner doubled to put two runners in scoring position. During the next at-bat, Mann scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. In the same inning,
Michael Dattalo came up with a clutch RBI groundout to give the Patriots a 4-3 lead.
One out into the bottom of the eighth, DBU head coach
Dan Heefner would turn things over to
Nick Wilson, who would throw 1.2 hitless innings and slam the door to complete the comeback.
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THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Nick Wilson earns his first save at DBU after throwing 1.2 hitless innings.
- River Ridings earned his first win as a DBU Patriot.
- Ethan Mann collected a season-high three hits including a solo home run
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
9 - DBU matches the 1987 team for the best start to a season with their ninth straight win.
14 - Patriots' ace
Ryan Johnson struck out a career-high 14 batters in Friday afternoon's win.
10 - DBU has now scored 10 runs in the eighth inning or later in their nine games this season.
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UP NEXT
DBU will take on No. 19 Indiana at 12:00 p.m. Saturday at Riders Park on day two of the 2024 Frisco Classic.
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