FORT WORTH - Texas Wesleyan Baseball (4-0) may not have had the offensive explosion it had Friday on Opening Day, but it showed plenty of grit in getting another doubleheader sweep, this time against Texas College - 8-6 in Game 1 and 8-7 in Game 2.
The Rams finished off the Steers in the bottom of the seventh.
Tanner Amaral started the inning off with a single followed by a Books Wallace single through the right side allowing Amaral to scamper to third. After an early out, Texas College elected to load the bases in the hopes of securing a double play, but the plan crumbled when pitcher Adan Quintanilla walked
Houston Glad. That brought in the winning run and just like that, the Rams improved to 4-0 to start a year for the first time since the 2012 season.
This wasn't the first pitching flub of the day for the Steers in fact, the Rams took advantage of them all day. The Texas College pitching staff went through seven pitchers, walking 15 batters, balking on four occasions and hitting four others with just six total strikeouts. Those missteps helped Texas Wesleyan immediately benefit on four different runs in Game 1, in which Texas College blew a 6-2 lead.
The Steers were bitten by the giveaway bug again in Game 2, possessing a 7-4 advantage before
Michael Davila homered to left center,
Jeddediah Fagg scored on a
Sheadion Jamanika double (Fagg was originally put on base with a walk) and Amaral managed to score the tying run as a consequence to a passed ball. Davila was 4-for-4 in Game 2, also getting a stolen base. Nine different players recorded a hit to close out the day's double-dip in the shimmering sun.
Josh Brown pitched 3.1 innings Saturday and got the 'W' striking out four of the 13 batters he faced.
Parker Robinson earned the save. In the second seven-inning ball game,
Jesse Ramirez impressed with seven Ks also getting 3.1 innings of work in.
Brayden Bahnsen and Amaral had doubles to go with Jamanika's (who also had two sacrifice flies to his name).
RAMBLINGS
In the first four games of the season, Texas Wesleyan has outscored their opponents in the sixth and seventh innings a combined 16-0 (15-0 in the sixth) proving they have the ability to close out games and/or come from behind when the squad needs to.
Dating back to the end of 2018, the Rams have now gone 10-straight games with at least eight hits. Last March, Texas Wesleyan managed to accomplish that 11-straight times.
WHAT'S NEXT
After a cheerful start to 2019, baseball returns to Sycamore Park next weekend to face LSU-Alexandria. The first of a three-game series is Friday at 1 p.m. before a Saturday doubleheader will throw first pitch at noon. The Rams won the only meeting last season, 13-4 in Fort Worth. TXWES has seven more home games before playing their first road contest February 15 against LSU-Shreveport. The Rams will see Texas College again in Fort Worth on February 20.
