THE RUNDOWN
In one of the wildest games in recent memory, No. 20 DBU (29-12, 12-4 CUSA) outlasted Louisiana Tech (25-16, 10-5 CUSA) in a 12-inning comeback win at JC Love Field in Ruston, Louisiana. After trailing 8-2 after the first inning, momentous hits from the likes of Jake Bennett, Adam Berghult, and Michael Dattalo gave the Patriots a series-opening win against a talented Bulldog squad.
 
Both offenses clicked in the early goings on Friday night. DBU struck first with a two-out rally in the opening frame. With two gone and Grant Jay on first via a walk, Chayton Krauss laced a double into the left-center gap, pushing Jay to third. Jake Bennett followed with a hard grounder up the middle, cashing in both runners to hand the Patriots an early 2-0 advantage. Michael Dattalo kept the pressure on with a single of his own, putting runners on the corners, but the momentum was cut short when Bennett was picked off at third to end the inning.
 
Just as quickly as the Patriots went ahead, the Bulldogs roared back with an eruptive bottom of the first. With the ballpark favoring offensive play all night, LA Tech pieced together eight runs, highlighted by a Zeb Ruddell three-run home run and a Colton Coates bases-clearing double.
 
DBU punched back in the second. Mason Swinney and Cody Grebeck hit back-to-back singles to start the frame, and Keaton Grady repeated the feat with an RBI base hit to score Swinney from third. Two batters after Grady's RBI single, Nathan Humphreys matched the run-scoring knock with a hustle infield hit that allowed a dashing Grebeck to score from second base, but Ruddell answered for the Bulldogs in the next half-inning via a solo shot to center field, making it a 9-4 game.
 
The offenses came to a halt in innings three and four. LA Tech starter Luke Cooley found his groove, allowing only one baserunner across the two frames. On the other side, DBU reliever Liam Watt fired back, punching out three Bulldogs while facing the minimum in the third and fourth. Watt would go on to have one of the best outings of his season, at one point retiring eight consecutive opposing batsmen in his season-high 4.1 innings of work.
 
The Patriots looked to tighten the margin in the fifth, and Krauss got things rolling with his second double of the night to the left-center alley. He took third on a wild pitch during Bennett's at-bat, setting the stage for Dattalo, who drove Krauss home on DBU's fourth RBI single. Then, with a 1-2 count, Adam Berghult launched a rocket over the center field wall for a two-run homer that put the Patriots within striking distance at 9-7.
 
But once again, the Bulldogs responded in their turn at the plate. With two away and Ruddell on third, Cade Patterson rolled a slow chopper up the first base side, beating a toss from Krauss to Watt at the bag. Which granted Ruddell the right to touch home and bump the LA Tech back to three.
 
The seventh inning brought more fireworks, with the two conference foes trading solo shots. Bennett ripped a laser off the scoreboard in right field for the Patriots, but Patterson lofted a homer to center field to keep LA Tech ahead 11-8.
 
The complexion of the game shifted in the eighth. Ben Tryon led off the DBU half with an infield base hit, and back-to-back free passes for Grebeck and Grady loaded the bases with nobody out. Grant Jay then stung a line out to left field that was converted into a sacrifice fly when Tryon trotted home, cutting the deficit to two. After another hit batter and a fielder's choice reloaded the bases, Jake Bennett came through with a clutch two-run single through the right side, bringing home Grady and Nathan Humphreys to pull the Patriots even at 11-all.
 
The closers on both sides worked their magic in the ninth to force extras. Jay began the 10th with a full-count single. Later, Bennett and Dattalo worked consecutive walks to put a man on every base for Adam Berghult. Facing a new arm out of the Bulldog bullpen in Connor Nation, Berghult watched the first two pitches of the at-bat miss the strike zone before pulling a pitch to left field, a thunderous go-ahead grand slam that gave DBU a 15-11 lead.
 
However, the drama was far from over. In the bottom half, Mason Peters fanned his first challenger, but the next three Bulldogs reached safely to put an occupant at each station with one out. It was Trey Hawsey's turn to play hero, as he matched Berghult's grand slam with his own to extend the game to an 11th frame.
 
The totals held steady through the 11th, and the Patriots turned to veteran center fielder Nathan Humphreys to kick off the 12th. He put himself on base with a single through the right side, and Krauss followed suit by punching a base hit to left field. Jake Bennett nearly put DBU back in front by three, but his towering fly ball down the right field line drifted foul before he ultimately popped out. That brought up Michael Dattalo, who swung at the first pitch he saw from Ryan Harland, delivering a go-ahead single to score Humphreys and give the Patriots another chance to seal the win, up 16-15.
 
The Bulldogs refused to go away quietly, threatening a walk-off. Trey Hawsey, Garrison Berkley, and Zeb Ruddell loaded the bases with no outs. With his back against the wall, Zach Todd proceeded to retire the next three batters on two strikeouts and a pop-up to complete the marathon comeback victory for the Patriots.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- With a 12-4 conference record, DBU is now in sole possession of first place in the Conference USA standings.
- The Patriots are 3-0 in extra-inning games this season.
- Adam Berghult's 10th-inning home run was his second grand slam of the season.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
23 - Twenty-three runs were scored with two outs.
6 - Adam Berghult is the third Patriot to record a six-RBI game this season (Jake Bennett, Chayton Krauss).
11 - Eleven of the 12 position players in the DBU lineup recorded a hit and a run.
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots and the Bulldogs go back to battle on Saturday afternoon at JC Love Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Read Full Article