The Austin College baseball team split its first Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader of the season on Saturday, winning 4-3 in extra innings in game one before falling 13-6 in game two. The 'Roos are now 2-7 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
In game one, the 'Roos fell behind early on a solo homer by Alex Thornton in the top of the first, but Austin College came back to square things up in the fourth when Josh Coughennower singled home Colt Herron. Austin College grabbed the lead in the fifth when Travis Gibson scored on an Austin Vaughan single, and after UD tied things up in the sixth, Herron blasted a lead off homer in the bottom half of the inning to put the 'Roos on top 3-2.
In the top of the sixth the Crusaders knotted things up again to send things into extra innings, and after a scoreless eighth inning, Vaughan delivered a game winning sacrifice fly, scoring Coughennower to give Austin College the walk off victory.
Vaughan went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Herron went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a homer and also earned the victory, pitching 3.0 shutout innings in relief.
In game two the 'Roos fell in a 3-0 hole after the first inning, and after Herron scored on a Dylan Day single to make it 3-1, the Crusaders exploded for seven runs in the third and added another in the fourth and again in the fifth to make it 12-1. The 'Roos got a sacrifice fly by Mason Leech to score Gibson and make it 12-2 after five complete innings.
Dallas added another run in the top of the seventh to make it 13-2 before Austin College attempted to rally, plating four runs in the bottom half of the inning with Leech drawing a bases loaded walk, Chance Hatchel bringing home two runs with a single, and Herron singling home a run but that's as close as they would get, falling 13-6.
Herron went 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead the 'Roos offensively while Blaine Tew took the loss on the mound, surrendering three runs on three hits with three walks in 0.2 innings of work.
The 'Roos and Crusaders will play the rubber match of the weekend series tomorrow at Baker Field with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
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.
