'Roos Sweep Doubleheader at Dallas

Photo by Randy Almaguer
Photo by Randy Almaguer

IRVING, Texas - The Austin College baseball team got an extra-innings comeback win in game one against the University of Dallas and held off the Crusaders in game two on their way to sweeping their twinbill on Friday afternoon. The 'Roos are now 8-9 overall and 2-3 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.

Austin Dudley just missed out on hitting for the cycle in the 11-inning game one victory, which the 'Roos took by a score of 12-11. Dudley went 4-for-5 at the plate, including hitting a 2-run homer and tripling to plate the go-ahead runs in the 11th. Brett Taff followed that up with a double to score Dudley for what proved to be the game-winner.

Austin College had fallen behind 4-0 after the first two innings before scoring three in the third, and the Crusaders led 6-4 heading into the fifth. Austin College got one run back in the top of the fifth, and RBI singles by James Arguello and Justin Alphonse in the sixth gave them their first lead at 7-6. Dudley homered in the seventh to push it to a 9-6 lead before the Crusaders added two in the bottom half of the inning, and Dallas would square things in the eighth. The game remained scoreless into extra innings, when Dudley and Taff provided the winning runs.

Dudley finished with four runs batted in and Taff went 4-for-7 and drove in three runs. He also earned the victory in relief, allowing two runs on four hits in 4.0 innings of work.

In game two, the 'Roos got a strong outing from Ryan Culp on the mound, as the freshman went 7.0 innings allowing two runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts and just one walk to earn the 7-6 victory. The 'Roos took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second on a home run by Cody Goggins, and after Dudley doubled to plate another run in the third, Alphonse belted a 2-run home run in the fourth to make it 5-0. Arguello added an RBI single in the fifth and Oscar Gonzalez pushed the lead to 7-0 in the sixth with another run-scoring single.

Dallas began to claw back with two runs in the sixth, and the Crusaders added another run in the seventh to cut it to a 7-3 game. The lead dwindled to just one run in the bottom of the ninth, but Ryan Scruggs came on in relief to shut the door on UD and earn the save.

Alphonse went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Josh Boring added a 3-for-4 performance of his own in the game two victory.

Austin College will be looking to sweep the series at noon on Saturday.