THE RUNDOWN

The No. 17 ranked DBU Patriots (6-1) took down the SIUE Cougars (2-4) in yet another one-sided victory to complete DBU's second weekend sweep of the season. Patriot starter Rian Schwede tossed five innings of 2-run ball, striking out three as he received his second win of the season.

SIUE would bring in a run in the top of the first inning via a solo home run, handing the Patriot offense a small deficit as the game entered the bottom of the first. 

Nathan Humphreys led off the home half of the frame with a double after working a full count. After a Michael Dattalo four-pitch walk, Tom Poole ripped a single between the shift to knot the game at one. Grant Jay would follow up Poole's single with a fielder's choice to score Dattalo, but the Patriots would eventually leave the bases loaded after scratching two across in the first.

Both teams would record three-up, three-down innings in the second before DBU would add to their early lead in the third. Chayton Krauss ripped an RBI double down the left-field line to score Jay and increase the lead to two.

The Cougars would score one in the top of the fourth via a sacrifice fly, but it was Grant Jay who stole the show in the bottom of the inning. Two walks and a Dattalo single would load the bases for Jay, who would send a ball over the left-field fence for a grand slam. Jay's third home run of the weekend made the score 7-2.

The Patriots would tack on three more in the bottom of the fifth; Jake Bennett drove in Chayton Krauss via fielder's choice, following Krauss' second double of the game. Humphreys and Dattalo would each drive in one with RBI base hits of their own. Dattalo's RBI single would be the last scoring play of the game.

The Patriot bullpen didn't allow a single run this afternoon. Dan Heefner turned to four arms to pitch the last four innings: Mason Peters, Mason Swinney, Liam Watt, and Nick Bonn. Peters, following a blown save in his most recent appearance, only needed 14 pitches to record his three outs. Swinney and Watt made their Patriot debuts this afternoon, while Swinney made his collegiate pitching debut; he made 44 appearances as a middle infielder at Alabama.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Grant Jay's home run today was the 45th of his career, which ties Trevor Head for third all-time in program history.
- Jay and Chayton Krauss led the team with five total bases each.
- Rian Schwede only needed 56 pitches to get through his five innings, as he was pounding the zone efficiently (67.8% strike percentage).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
10 - Patriot hitters drew ten walks this afternoon, the most walks DBU has drawn in a single game this season.
2 - Schwede is the first Patriot starting pitcher to record two wins in 2025.
0 - The DBU bullpen did not allow a single run in four innings of work.

ON DECK
The Pats turn their attention to the No. 2 ranked LSU Tigers (5-1), in a game where both schools will see their first ranked opponent of the 2025 campaign.