FORT WORTH, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (2-0) kicked off its season with a sweep of a doubleheader against Ottawa University (0-2) at
Sycamore Park on Friday. The Rams took game one 5-3 and then prevailed 10-4 in the nightcap.
Stephen Yancey (1-0) got the nod as the opening day starter and did not disappoint. The junior from North Richland Hills, TX, turned in six innings of work and allowed just one run on four hits while striking out five.
In the first inning,
Alex Gudac drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a balk, and then scored on an Ottawa error. Another defensive miscue from the Braves aided a three-run second inning that included a two-out RBI double from
Blake Seaton.
Meanwhile Yancey worked five scoreless frames before allowing an RBI double from Micheal Steinbacher in the sixth. The Rams got that run back in the bottom of the sixth to bring the score to 5-1. The Braves put together a threat in the seventh, bringing the tying run to the plate, but
Wade Regas ended the rally and the game with a strikeout.
After collecting just three hits in game-one, the Texas Wesleyan offense pounded out 11 safeties in game-two.
Ottawa put a pair of runs on the board in the top of the first, but
Alex Gudac set the tone for the contest when he delivered a leadoff home run in the bottom of the inning.
Blake Seaton followed with a double and later scored the tying run on a groundout from
Julio Ibarra.
A three-run second inning was capped off by a two RBI triple from Gudac. The Braves briefly got back in the game with an RBI double from Alexis Cruz in the third and a solo homer from Tyler Quintana in the fourth.
The TXWES offense put runs on the board in each of the next three innings to put the game out of reach. A two-run home run from
Kiki Menendez in the fifth provided the exclamation point as the Rams pulled away for the 10-4 victory.
In his Texas Wesleyan debut, junior right-hander
Andrew O'Brien (1-0) notched the win after allowing four runs on four hits while striking out seven in four innings of work.
Alex Lopez worked three scoreless innings and picked up the save. He scattered four hits and struck out a pair.
Gudac was 3-for-3 with a triple, a home run, three RBI's and two runs scored.
Blake Seaton and Caden Wililams went 2-for-3, while Menendez was 2-for-4 at the plate.
The Rams and Braves will play another doubleheader on Saturday. First-pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at
Sycamore Park.
Ramblings
- The Rams improved to 11-5 in season-openers under the direction of Head Coach
Mike Jeffcoat.
- This was the first ever meeting between Ottawa and Texas Wesleyan.
- Picking up where he left off:
Alex Gudac is coming off a 2016 campaign in which he recorded a school-record eight triples. With his three-bagger on Friday, he needs just seven more to tie the school's career record of 16 triples held by Johnny Isom (1992-95) and Bob Mershon (1968-71).
