THE RUNDOWN
Saturday afternoon, DBU (25-18, 14-6 CUSA) took down Florida International (13-29, 5-15 CUSA) by a score of 14-10, in a back-and-forth slugfest.
Aiden VanDeHatert tossed five innings of one-run ball in relief, striking out four in the process.
Luke Pettitte launched two of the Patriots' six home runs this afternoon, anchoring the offensive outburst.
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FIU's Julian Mlodzinski and
Ryan Borberg exchanged zeros in the first inning, a frame where only seven total batters came to the plate.
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Both teams would plate runs in the second, as
Ryan Martin and
Ben Tryon broke the seal with RBI singles in consecutive plate appearances. The Panthers would grab one back in the bottom half with a sacrifice fly, as the Patriots ended the inning leading 2-1.
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Brooks Sartain sent the first pitch of the top of the third over the right field wall, pushing DBU's lead to two runs.
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The advantage wouldn't last too long, as FIU launched three-run homers in both the third and fourth innings. After the fourth, the Panthers led 7-3.
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Dylan Schlaegel led off the top of the fifth with a home run to kickstart a five-run frame.
Chayton Krauss punched an RBI single down the first base line before
Luke Pettitte and
Cooper Neville launched back-to-back homers to complete the frenzy. DBU led 8-7 after the top of the fifth.
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The Panthers retook the lead in the bottom half, scoring on an RBI groundout and later on a passed ball.
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FIU added to its lead in the seventh inning, scratching a run across on a sacrifice fly. After the seventh, the Panthers led 10-8.
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Ryan Martin and
Dylan Schlaegel drew consecutive walks to lead off the eighth, before
Jake Bennett belted a lead-taking three-run homer to left center.
Chayton Krauss and
Mac Rose went on to reach on free passes, before
Luke Pettitte launched a three-run big fly of his own, his second homer of the game. After a six-run top of the eighth, DBU led 14-10.
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THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- For the second consecutive game, a Patriot hitter has hit multiple home runs.
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Brooks Sartain set a season-high in hits tonight (4)
- Six home runs match a season-high for DBU (3/14 vs New Mexico State).
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
18 - The Patriots set a season-high of 18 hits this afternoon.
2 - DBU only used two pitchers on both Friday and Saturday.
8 - Eight of DBU's nine starters scored a run this afternoon.
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ON DECK
The Patriots will conclude their series with Florida International tomorrow. Sunday's first pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CST.
