The Austin College baseball team dropped a 7-6 heartbreaker in 10 innings in game one before coming back to earn a 7-4 victory in game two of the team's twin bill on Saturday against Ecclesia College, as the team brought its overall record to 5-31 this season with the home finale split.
In game one, the 'Roos fell behind 2-0 in the first after an early error opened the door to a pair of runs, but the 'Roos got one back in the bottom of the inning on a Will Schommer RBI single. The 'Roos jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the second after Dylan Day laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt with the bases loaded to get things started, and Hunter Wilson added an RBI single and Gus Daniel had a sacrifice fly to finish off the three run frame.
Ecclesia tied things up with a pair of runs in the fifth to make it 4-4, but James Saulnier singled through the right side to score Schommer in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. The lead would be short lived, however, as the Royals came back with a run in the sixth to knot things up. Neither team would score in the seventh and the game would head to extra innings.
A wild pitch allowed the Royals to take a 6-5 lead in the ninth, but James Arguello came on to pinch hit and delivered an RBI single up the middle to send the game to a third extra frame. However, Ecclesia would regain the lead in the 10th, and the 'Roos would leave the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning in the 7-6 loss.
Marcos Molina took the loss, surrendering two runs, both unearned, on three hits in 4.0 innings of work. Daniel went 3-for-5 and Schommer, Saulnier, and Josh Coughennower each had two hits in the loss.
The Royals took advantage of a pair of Austin College errors in the first two innings of game two to jump out to a 2-0 lead in the middle of the second, but Austin College would erupt for four runs in the bottom half of the inning to grab a 4-2 lead. Saulnier, Molina, and Jeremy Halford each had an RBI in the inning.
Saulnier drove home two more runs in the third and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-2 after three, and that would remain the score until the sixth, when Ecclesia took advantage of another error to score a pair of runs and make it 7-4. The Royals wouldn't get any closer though as Mychael Parrish worked two solid innings to earn the save.
Brett Moody earned the win after surrendering four unearned runs on just three hits with three strikeouts in 5.0 innings, and Parrish gave up just one hit in 2.0 innings to get the save. Saulnier finished 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBI and Thomas Oberg added a pair of hits in the victory for Austin College.
The 'Roos close out the season next weekend when they head to Dallas Christian for a three game series on Saturday and Sunday.
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 residential 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.