'Roos Drop Conference Series at Dallas

IRVING, Texas - The Austin College baseball team got its three-game set at the University of Dallas off to a strong start with a 20-9 win in game two, but after game two was halted due to darkness, the Crusaders ended up topping the 'Roos 13-10 in game two when play resumed on Sunday before wrapping up the series with a 10-7 decision in game three. The 'Roos are now 3-4 overall and 3-3 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.

Carlos Michinaux got the 'Roos on the board early in game one, singling to plate Caleb Staggs in the top of the first. Dallas responded with a solo homer by Luke Gill in the bottom of the inning and went up 2-1 in the bottom of the second, but Austin College responded in the third when Michinaux once again delivered an RBI single.

The Crusaders put three runs across in the bottom of the third to go on top 5-2, but the 'Roos surged ahead in the next half inning, plating five runs in the frame to take a 7-5 lead. Staggs got the scoring started with an RBI base hit, and Desmond Squalls launched a three-run homer. Jayden Ayala-Hinojosa finished up the scoring with a solo homer of his own.

After another run came home in the fifth for the 'Roos, Ayala-Hinojosa, Michinaux, and Keaton Bradshaw each drove in a run in the sixth to make it 11-5. Dallas got four of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning to cut it to 11-9 before the 'Roos exploded for nine runs in the seventh to end the game early via the run rule.

All nine of Austin College's runs came with two outs, as the first came on a sacrifice fly by Ayala-Hinojosa that also served as the second out of the frame. After that, Bradshaw walked with the bases full to plate another run and Jaxyn Rogers singled to score two more runners. Tripp Thoms had a bases-clearing double later in the inning, and Kaden Stegent singled home another run to make it 19-9. The final run of the inning came when Ayala-Hinojosa walked with the bases full to make it 20-9.

Squalls was 4-for-5 with four runs and three RBI to lead the 'Roos, while Staggs was 3-for-5 with four runs, Michinaux finished 3-for-4 with three RBI, Ayala-Hinojosa went 2-for-3 with four RBI, and both Thoms and Stegent added 2-for-5 performances. Jonas CeBallos earned the win, giving up five runs - three earned - on six hits in 5.0 innings. Liam Mosley got the loss for Dallas, while Gill was 3-for-4 to pace the Crusaders at the dish.

Game two saw Austin College jump on top 1-0 in the first thanks to a Squalls RBI single, but Dallas scored three in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead. Thoms delivered a two-run double in the second to even things up before UD tacked on two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Austin College took a 6-5 lead in the fourth, with Thoms starting things off with an RBI single, and later scored along with Rogers in the inning. The lead shifted back to Dallas in the ensuing half inning as Dallas scored twice, and Levi Enriquez launched a three-run homer in the fifth to put the Crusaders on top 10-6. Stegent belted a two-run double and Staggs later scored in the inning as Austin College got three runs back in the top of the sixth to cut it to 10-9, before darkness caused the teams to regroup and finish on Sunday afternon.

Dallas got one run back in the bottom of the sixth when play resumed, and another run came home in the eighth as the Crusaders took advantge of a defensive error to make it 13-9 heading into the ninth. Matthew Nguyen singled home a run to cut it to 13-10, but that's as close as things would get. Blake Skipworth absorbed the loss, giving up nine runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings of work with six strikeouts. Arthur Ruff got the win for the Crusaders. Alex Rodriguez, Xander Hansen, Rogers, Michinaux, Thoms, and Staggs each had a pair of hits in the loss.

Sunday afternoon's game three was another high scoring affair, with the 'Roos again taking an early advantage with two runs in the first. Squalls and Michinaux each drove in a run in the inning, but Dallas answered back with two runs in the bottom half of the frame. Gill tripled to plate a run in the second, putting the Crusaders up 3-2, but Stegent and Michinaux both brought runs home in the third, including a two run base hit for Stegent, to give Austin College a 5-3 advantage.

The lead was shortlived, however, as Dallas scored one run each in the third and fourth to level things, and after Jorge Villalobos brought home a run to put Austin College back on top 6-5 in the sixth, the Crusaders answered and tied things up in the bottom of the seventh. Austin College took on more lead at 7-6 on another RBI by Villalobos, but in the top of the ninth, Andrew Israel hit a solo homer to square things up, and later in the inning, Caleb Mize launched a walk-off, three-run home run to end the game in dramatic fashion.

Leo Hohman took the loss in relief after surrendering the decisive homer in the ninth, and Michinaux led Austin College at the dish with a 4-for-5 performance with two RBI. Stegent was 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Mize paced the Crusaders with a 2-for-4 performance and three RBI along with three runs.