The Austin College baseball team fell in both halves of its season opening doubleheader against Occidental College on Saturday, falling 7-4 in game one before dropping a 17-4 decision in game two. The 'Roos are now 0-2 and will be looking to rebound with another doubleheader against the Tigers tomorrow morning.
In game one, the 'Roos fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first but quickly answered back when Dylan Day drove in Mason Leech to square things up. Occidental scored twice in the third, but the 'Roos again responded, this time with Austin Vaughan coming home on a fielder's choice by Leech to make it 3-2 after three innings.
That remained the score until the top of the sixth, when the Tigers tacked on another run to make it 4-2, and Occidental three more runs over the next two innings to make it 7-2 heading into the bottom half of the eighth. Austin College tried to rally in the eighth with Vaughan driving in two runs with a double off the fence in left center to make it 7-4, but that's as close as the 'Roos would get.
Vaughan finished the game going 3-for-4 with two RBI and Leech, Day, and Tyler Appelquist each had a pair of hits in the loss. Marshall Korn took the loss after surrendering four runs, two earned, on five hits in 6.0 innings of work.
In game two, the Tigers got bookend big innings, scoring five runs in the first and four in the ninth as they topped the 'Roos 17-4. After the Tigers put five runs on the board in the first, the 'Roos responded with a pair in the second when Dylan Day scored on a wild pitch and Colt Herron came home on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Hayes to make it 5-2.
Occidental quickly struck back with two runs to push it to a 7-2 game, and the Tigers added one run in the fourth, fifth, and sixth, while the 'Roos managed two runs over that span to make it 10-4 heading into the seventh. The Tigers plated three more runs in that inning, and four more runners crossed the plate in the top of the ninth to put the game out of reach.
Herron went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI to lead the 'Roos offensively, as he and Leech, who also had a double and an RBI, were the only Austin College players to record hits in the game. Mychael Parrish took the loss in his collegiate debut, giving up seven runs on six hits in 2.1 innings of work.
The 'Roos and Tigers will finish up their weekend series tomorrow with a pair of games beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Baker Field.
Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
About Austin College
Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope's influential book Colleges that Change Lives.
