GEORGETOWN, Texas — The Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs put on a hitting clinic, stringing together 33 hits, including five home runs, for 40 runs in two wins over the Southwestern baseball team to sweep the three-game series.
Game 1: Texas Lutheran 15, Southwestern 14
The first game of the doubleheader was a contest of big swings, both at the plate and on the scoreboard, as Southwestern and Texas Lutheran exchanged home runs and high-scoring innings in a 15-14 Bulldogs' win.
Texas Lutheran scored four runs off Southwestern ace Travis Harvey in the first inning. Harvey retired the first two hitters, but the Bulldogs battled back with three consecutive singles and a two-run home run by Blade Strzelczyk.
Southwestern responded with a five-run third inning, scoring on a Henry Fisher walk with bases loaded, a passed ball, and a three-run blast by Christian Melillo over the left-field wall.
Texas Lutheran retook the lead in the fourth inning, scoring on a throwing error by Preston Witt and a Ryan Huerta walk with bases loaded.
Harvey loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, walking Dahl, hitting Holden Philippus, and walking Huerta, ending his afternoon after 5.2 innings with six runs, including five earned runs, credited to him off six hits with six walks and three strikeouts. Braden Anderson took the mound in relief and got out of the inning.
Southwestern battled back with three runs in the sixth inning, scoring on a two-RBI single by Jacob Tanner up the middle and a double steal with runners in the corners, with Tanner taking second and Vaquero stealing home.
Texas Lutheran appeared to blow the game open, batting through the entire lineup with a seven-run seventh inning highlighted by Tyler Post hitting a leadoff home run and Huerta and Jimenez punctuating the inning with back-to-back home runs.
After starting the series 0-for-9, Maxwell Mims finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run blast to left field, pulling Southwestern to within two at 13-11.
The Bulldogs scored runs of a Blake Cappadona RBI single in the eighth and a Post RBI single in the ninth to extend Texas Lutheran's lead.
Mims put Southwestern within striking distance on a three-run home run with one out, scoring Melillo and Winfield, who reached on walks. Trent Raschke and Vaquero walked to put the winning run on first, but Tanner went down swinging to end the game.
Game 2: Texas Lutheran 25, Southwestern 3
Texas Lutheran hit anything and everything in the second game, compiling 18 hits and 21 RBIs, including a 12-run fourth inning to defeat Southwestern 25-3 in seven innings.
JT Tyler earned his first win on the mound for Texas Lutheran, striking out six in five innings while surrendering three runs on four hits. Southwestern went through eight pitchers, with starter Ben Ludwig picking up his second loss of the season, surrendering nine runs, seven of which were earned, on 10 hits.
Texas Lutheran hit through the lineup twice in a disastrous fourth inning for the Pirates. Southwestern surrendered six hits in the inning, highlighted by Aric Vasquez's grand slam home run. Southwestern also walked seven hitters, including twice with bases loaded.
The Pirates turned to the bench in the bottom of the fourth and got a walk from Christian Matthews and an RBI triple by Tanner to the left-field fence. Sam Castillo entered the game for Melillo and hit his first career home run with a two-run blast.
Six different Bulldogs had multiple hits, led by Vasquez's 4-for-5 performance with seven RBIs and two runs scored. Six different Pirates had one hit.
After the loss, Southwestern drops to 8-11 with an 0-6 conference record. The Pirates will travel to play Mary Hardin-Baylor on Tuesday, then a road conference series against Austin College next weekend.
