THE RUNDOWN
No. 17 DBU (5-1) wrapped up a dominant Saturday with an 11-1 victory over SIUE (2-3), completing the doubleheader sweep at Horner Ballpark. The Patriots flexed their power at the plate, launching three home runs, including a pair from
Grant Jay and the first of
Jake Bennett's career. Meanwhile, the pitching trio of
James Ellwanger,
Luke Pettitte, and
Athan Kroll held the Cougars to just one run on four hits.
DBU wasted no time seizing control, striking for four runs in the second inning.
Joey Nerat and
Ben Tryon set the stage with back-to-back singles before Bennett crushed Tim Texieria's 0-1 offering over the center-field wall for a three-run blast—the first of his collegiate career. Two batters later,
Nathan Humphreys doubled and later scored on a wild pitch, extending the lead to 4-0.
The Patriots broke the game wide open in the fourth with a five-run explosion. Jay delivered the big blow, sending a towering three-run homer to center field. He wasn't done yet—two innings later, Jay connected again, this time launching a two-run shot just to the right of the batter's eye.
On the mound, Ellwanger set the tone with three dominant innings, striking out six without allowing a run. Pettitte followed with 2.2 shutout frames in relief before Kroll recorded the final four outs to seal the win.
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THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- With the victory, DBU secured its second weekend series win of the season.
- The Patriots outscored the Cougars on Saturday, 25-3.
- DBU's out-hit SIUE 21-8 across both games.
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
44 -
Grant Jay's two-homer performance brings his career total to 44, just two shy of passing Trevor Head for third all-time in program history.
24 - DBU's pitching staff was electric, racking up 24 strikeouts in the two seven-inning games.
6 -
Nathan Humphreys extended his hitting streak to six games, recording at least one hit in every contest this season.
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UP NEXT
DBU and SIUE conclude their three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Horner Ballpark. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.
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