GRAND PRAIRIE, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (5-5) split a Valentine's Day doubleheader with 14th ranked Doane College – Nebraska (1-1) at QuikTrip Park on Saturday. The Rams took game one 6-5 before falling just short, 8-7, in game two.
In game one, the Rams got two runs with three singles from
Jake Howeth,
Tyler Kamtz, and
Ryan Mendez in the first inning.
The Tigers took advantage of a pair of walks and a Texas Wesleyan error to push a run across in the second. The Rams broke the game open in the fourth. After two quick outs, the Rams put two aboard and
Jake Davis ripped a two-run double down the left field line. Two batters later, Howeth knocked an RBI single, and Kamtz followed with another to bring the score to 6-1.
The Rams were hard pressed to make that margin stand up. With two outs in the fifth, the Tigers got their first hit, an RBI single from Nick Studer. Liam Bedford added an RBI single in a three-run inning that closed the gap to 6-4.
An RBI single from Kevin Clausen made it a one-run game at 6-5, but Avery Sulivan came on in the seventh to lock down his second save of the season.
Mitch McLeod (2-1) picked up the win with five innings of work. He allowed four runs, only one earned, on two hits and four walks, while striking out eight. Sullivan allowed a walk in 0.2 innings pitched. Brandon Stennis (0-1) took the loss after surrendering six runs, five earned on eight hits, in 3.2 innings pitched.
Howeth and Kamtz each went 2-for-3 at the plate for the Rams in the game-one win.
Runs came in bunches in game two. The Tigers batted around in the third and plated five runs on six hits including two-run singles from both Adam Touhey and Jacob Duhey.
In the bottom of the fifth,
Jake Davis reached on an error.
Rod Lewis followed with a double, and Howeth, Kamtz, and
Dusteyn Suttled all singled in succession. When the smoke cleared, the Rams had plated four runs to bring the score to 5-4.
In the top of the seventh, the Tigers got a two-run double from Touhey and an RBI single from Studer to regain control at 8-4. In the bottom of the inning, Suttle knocked an RBI single. Johnathan Bravo plated Howeth with a sac fly, and
Joel Rickman added an RBI single to close the gap to 8-7.
Josh Hayden and Andrew Hodges came out of the Doane bullpen to toss a scoreless final 2.1 innings and hold the win for the Tigers.
Tyler McKee (1-0) got the win after allowing three runs, two earned, on just two hits in 2.1 innings. Hodges got the save with a scoreless ninth inning.
Alex Lopez (1-1) took the loss after allowing five runs (all in the third inning) on seven hits while striking out five in six innings pitched.
Lewis and Kamtz both went 2-for-5 at the plate. Davis was 2-for-4, and Howeth went 3-for-5 in the loss.
The two teams will complete their four-game series with a doubleheader at QuikTrip Park on Sunday. Game one is scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. start.
Ramblings
- The Rams and Tigers have never met before on the baseball field.
- Suttle leads the Rams in AVG. at .538 (7-for-13).
- Lewis leads the team with 15 hits while hitting .429 (15-for-35).
