SHERMAN, Texas - The Austin College baseball team edged out Blackburn College for a pair of victories on Sunday, getting a walk-off 7-6 game one victory before holding on for a 4-3 win in game two. The 'Roos are now 7-2 overall on the year.
In game one, the 'Roos jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first with Sergio De Paoli scoring on a wild pitch and Josh Boring doubling home a run, and Nick Flynn's RBI double made it 3-0 in the second. The lead grew to 4-0 in the third on a Michael Winterrowd run-scoring base hit before Blackburn got three runs back in the fourth to cut to 4-3.
De Paoli doubled in a run in the fifth and Flynn knocked in another run in that same inning to make it 6-3, but a three-run homer for Blackburn's Tyler Jackson evened things up in the top of the sixth. The score remained knotted heading into the bottom of the seventh, when Cody Goggins ripped a double down the right field line to plate Flynn and make it a 7-6 final.
Jacob Sherman picked up the win in relief, giving up one hit in 1.0 innings of work, and De Paoli, Boring, and Zack Mahoney each collected a pair of hits in the victory. Jake Webster went 1-for-2 with a triple and two runs scored.
The Beavers took a 3-0 lead in game two, plating all three runs in the third inning before Austin College took advantage of some defensive miscues to get two of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning. De Paoli scored on a balk to get the 'Roos on the board, and a wild pitch brought Mahoney in to make it a 3-2 game. More defensive trouble squared things up as Flynn scored on an error in the fifth, and the 'Roos would go ahead for good in the sixth when Garrett Gray scored on yet another error by Blackburn to make it 4-3.
James Adams got the win after surrendering three runs on five hits in 7.0 innings of work, while Austin Coe came on to get the save, pitching 2.0 perfect innings in relief. Mahoney, Webster, and Justin Alphonse each had two hits to lead Austin College offensively.