Box Score - Game One
Box Score - Game Two

SEGUIN, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (1-1) opened the 2011 season with a split of a doubleheader at Texas Lutheran University (1-1) on Sunday. The Rams dropped game one, 9-8, before shutting out the Bulldogs, 3-0, in game two.

 

In game one, the Rams took advantage of two Bulldog errors and got RBI from Justin Padron and Stephen Niedwiecki during a three-run first inning. The Bulldogs came right back with five runs on six hits and a walk in the bottom of the inning.

A two-run homer from Charles Tabone in the top of the second tied the game at five. Texas Lutheran picked up an unearned run in the bottom of the second, before the Rams used a two-run homer from Joseph Lassiter to take a 7-6 lead in the third.

 

The Bulldogs turned a leadoff walk into a run in the bottom of the third and then took an 8-7 lead with a back-to-back doubles from Evan Curtis and Matt Peterson in the fourth.

 

Christian Soberanes doubled with one out in the seventh and scored the game-tying run on a two-out single from Lassiter. In the bottom of the seventh, Brian Wheaton drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sac bunt from Daniel Yancelson. The Rams issued an intentional walk to set up a possible double-play, but Kyle Evans was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Isaac Tijerina then followed with walk-off base hit, and the Bulldogs prevailed 8-7.

 

Nolan Barbee (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing one run on two hits in 1.1 innings. Clay Rogers (1-0) picked up the win after allowing a run on three hits in one inning pitched.

 

Lassiter impressed at the plate in his first game as a Ram. The junior second baseman out of Western Texas College went 4-for-4 with a home run, and three RBI.

 

In game two, the Rams rode a solid performance from Derek Vaughn (1-0) to a 3-0 win.

 

Eric Epperson ripped a one-out triple in the first inning and scored on a grounder from Justin Snider. A double from Soberanes and a TLU error led to a second run in the second inning.

 

Meanwhile Vaughn tossed six scoreless innings. He scattered two hits and four walks while striking out five.

 

The Rams added a solo home run from Soberanes in the seventh, and Patrick Stanley shut the door with a scoreless seventh inning.

 

Epperson and Soberanes both went 2-for-3 at the plate in game two.

 

Head coach Mike Jeffcoat was pleased with his team’s overall performance. “Derrick Vaughn pitched very well and as a result we played good defense,” Jeffcoat said. “We swung the bats well in both games. We didn’t pitch as well as we needed to in the first game and it cost us a win, but that’s too be expected early in the season.”

 

The Rams will play their home opener on Friday, when they host fifth ranked Lubbock Christian University. That game is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. start at LaGrave Field. The weekend will continue with a doubleheader against seventh ranked Oklahoma City University on Saturday (12:00 p.m.) and a single game against Wayland Baptist University on Sunday (12:00 p.m.).