'Roo Baseball Takes One of Two at TLU

SEGUIN, Texas - The Austin College baseball team split its Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at Texas Lutheran University on Saturday, taking game one 8-5 before falling 6-2 in game two. The game one victory was the program's first against the Bulldogs since the 2017 season, and helped move the 'Roos to 9-16 overall and 6-12 in conference play this season.

Game one was scoreless until the top of the third, when the 'Roos put three runs on the board to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Jack Wilhelm got the scoring started with an RBI single, and Mason Woodhouse followed with a two-run base hit. Woodhouse drove in another run in the fifth to make it a 4-0 game, and Maddox Prentice drew a walk with the bases full in the seventh to give Austin College a 5-0 advantage. 

An error by the 'Roos allowed Texas Lutheran to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth, making it a 5-1 game, but Austin College answered back with three runs in the top of the ninth to grab an 8-1 lead. Tino Ramirez, Jayden Ayala-Hinojosa, and Wilhelm each drove in a run during the frame. The Bulldogs got three runs back in the bottom half of the inning but that's as close as things got, with the 'Roos holding on for the win. Asher Thompson went 8.1 innings on the bump to get the win, giving up three runs, two earned, on five hits with five strikeouts, while Nolan McInvale took the loss for the Bulldogs, surrendering five runs on 13 hits in 6.0 innings of work. Wilhelm went 4-for-6 with two RBI and Woodhouse finished 3-for-5 and drove in three to lead Austin College at the plate.

Texas Lutheran jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game two, but Austin College countered in the top of the second when Easton Clark singled home Wilhelm to even things up. The score remained knotted until the fourth, when TLU took a 2-1 lead, but RayShawn Riley brought home the tying run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. However, the Bulldogs grabbed the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh, pushing three runs across to make it 5-2, and they would add one more in the eighth to make it 6-2.

Tyler Ramage took the loss in relief, giving up four runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits in 3.1 innings of action, while Triston McGowan went the distance for TLU to get the win with eight strikeouts and five hits surrendered. Ayala-Hinojosa and Wilhelm each had a pair of hits to pace Austin College offensively.