FORT WORTH - No. 15 Texas Wesleyan Baseball (37-8, 16-4 SAC) showed just how dominant the squad can be during a doubleheader Friday to cap a three-game series with hapless Bacone (1-24, 1-20 SAC). The Rams won the first game 16-0 and then the second 10-1 - the 15th time TXWES has scored at least 10 runs in a game this season.
USUAL SUSPECTS
Brayden Bahnsen hit 3-for-5 on the day, including a 2-for-2, 4 RBI performance in Game 1. Bahnsen hit a triple in the second inning to left center to score
Jeddediah Fagg and
Michael Davila, the first two runs of the DH. He doubled to right center in the fourth to bring home Davila again. His RBI in the third frame was the easiest - taking a walk with the bases loaded. The walk came during a stretch of 15-straight walks thrown.
The Warriors made a mess of that inning, walking a total of six batters. Game 1 saw 13 different Rams stroll to first without having to put the ball in play (12 walks, one hit-by-pitch). In the midst of all those walks,
Joseph Barfield wasn't waiting for ball four, crushing a home run to left-center field pushing the lead to 5-0 - his first homer of 2019. Going yard roughly 375 feet helped Barfield finish 3-of-7 with 4 RBI in the two games combined.
Houston Glad was one hit away from a perfect game, pitching five innings with just one hit allowed, no walks and six strikeouts. He improved to an 8-2 record.
Garrett Moltzan took the win in Game 2, improving to 2-0, as the most effective relief pitcher in a smooth-sailing battle that included five different men on the mound.
EVERYONE'S A THREAT
Craig Mattes went yard in the first game's sixth - again to left center - to add unintended insult to injury. Mattes became the 12th different Ram to put a ball over the fence this season, the most players to hit a home run in a campaign since the 12 that did in 2011. The homer added to his day's resume which included a RBI single in the second inning.
PITCHERS ARE HITTERS TOO
Tres Underwood used his first at-bat of the season to pull a
Parker Robinson. After the top Rams pitcher used his first and rare at-bat against Arlington Baptist to earn a hit, Underwood got his first opportunity of 2019 and did the same - a double down the right-field line. Your move, Mr. Robinson.
THREE UP, THREE DOWN
Game 2 was more of the same rout and included another six-run inning (the bottom of the second) this time using a wide spread of RBI singles and doubles that reached center field (Barfield), up the middle (
Sheadion Jamanika) and into left field (
Brooks Wallace).
Alan Campero was 2-for-2 at the plate in the final game of the series and Wallace finished 2-of-4. Jamanika drove in three total runs.
WHAT'S NEXT
LSU-Shreveport (36-9) comes in to Fort Worth for a highly-anticipated test for both teams, a barometer for where both clubs might stand heading into their respective conference tournaments. The game will start Monday at 3 p.m., the same day coaches around the country vote for the updated NAIA Top 25 poll, which will come out April 16. LSU-Shreveport fell from No. 9 to No. 11 in the most recent poll from April 2. Since then, the Pilots have won five of their last six.
LSUS is the No. 2 team in the NAIA when it comes to doubles (110), runs scored (395) and RBI (361). To counter, the Rams are No. 2 in strikeouts (382), sporting the best ERA pitcher eligible in the NAIA -
Parker Robinson - who still sports a ridiculous 1.18 ERA in 2019, which is sitting just above Gary Young's 1972 record of 1.04.