FORT WORTH - Texas Wesleyan Baseball (2-0) played about as beautiful game of baseball as Opening Day's weather Friday afternoon at Sycamore Park, not making any new friends with the Falcons of Friend's University (0-2) with 18-3 and 10-2 victories in the first doubleheader of the season. From interim Head Coach to 2019 Head Coach, the Bobby Garza era is off to a good start.

The day was headlined by Jeddediah Fagg's two home runs in Game 1 of the series. Fagg brought in two runs in the third inning on a crushing homer to left-centerfield, then smashed a 2 RBI home run just slightly left of the first in the sixth frame. Whether the Falcons pitchers realized it or not, they did not allow Fagg to get another clean swing. He was walked in the first inning of Game 2, then subsequently took a base three straight at-bats from being hit by pitches.

With sore limbs, Fagg finished Opening Day with eight at-bats - four taken bases with contact, a base on balls, two home runs and four RBI (five runs scored total to his name).

Game 1 heated up in the sixth inning with the Rams up 9-3. After getting a couple of strikeouts to go three-up, three-down in the top of the sixth, Texas Wesleyan made life hard for the Falcon defenders. Joseph Barfield started with a single through the left side, Fagg's rocket that landed behind the fence brought Barfield home. With no runners on base, TXWES re-loaded with a single from Sheadion Jamanika immediately followed by Brayden Bahnsen's triple to bring Jamanika back to home plate.

Stepping to the plate next: David Pewenofkit. He drilled the ball deep to right field and took a jog - at that point extending the lead to 14-3. After a walk and a double from Tanner Amaral the Falcons decided it was time to make a pitching change - that didn't slow the Rams down.

Fist batter - Brooks Wallace - single. Barfield stepped back up and drilled a double down the right-field line. One more double for Jamanika bringing home two and a string of eventual outs mercifully ended the inning.

18 runs were the most scored on an Opening Day game in the last 15 years.

The Rams leaped out to a fast start in Game 2, scoring four to take a 4-1 advantage. After threatening in the second with bases loaded and two outs, Texas Wesleyan ultimately re-grouped and came out firing again in the sixth inning, dumping six more runs on Friends. Three different batters were hit by pitch to load the bases and a walk followed. Doubles from Mark Schreiner and Brooks Wallace put the hammer to the nail.

Pitching was solid with Parker Robinson, Jesse Ramirez and Max Martinez pitched to a combined 15 batters and didn't give up a hit with seven strikeouts - including four from Ramirez which led the day. Cameron Vige got the win in Game 1 while Houston Glad collected the 'W' in Game 2. 

Top hitters outside of Fagg included Bahnsen (5-for-8, 2 RBI), Wallace (4-for-8, 5 RBI) and Jamanika (4-for-7, 7 RBI).

RAMBLINGS
- Rams baseball move their all-time record against Friends to 4-0. 

-The high-scoring Rams are picking up where they left from their record-setting 2018 run. It's the third time in the last two seasons that the Rams have scored at least 25 runs in a doubleheader. Prior to the 2018 campaign, TXWES had not scored 25+ runs in a doubleheader since April 6, 2013 - 35 runs against the University of the Southwest. Just prior to that outburst, Mach 25, 2013 the team put up 31 runs against the Texas College Steers. Speaking of which...

WHAT'S NEXT
Texas College will face Texas Wesleyan in a Sunday doubleheader, starting at noon. The Steers will play Friends in a Saturday doubleheader at Sycamore.