DALLAS, Texas – NCAA Regional regular Dallas Baptist (2-0) toppled Binghamton baseball (0-2) 13-2 and 14-1 on an Opening Day doubleheader Friday night at Horner Ballpark.
The Conference USA favorite Patriots showed why they've been labeled a darkhorse to reach the College World Series with the pair of lopsided wins.
In the opener, the Bearcats were even 2-2 before DBU unleashed its offense and scored the final 11 runs of the game. The Patriots scored 10 of those runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings before the game was halted after seven due to the 10-run rule.
Sophomore catcher
Tommy Popoff went 2-for-2 and sophomore left fielder
Grant Hunter went 2-for-4 with a double. Sophomore center fielder
Matt Bolton reached base three times with a single and two walks. Senior second baseman
Zack Kent and sophomore first baseman
Steven Kraus drove in the Bearcat runs with sacrifice flies in the third inning.
Freshman reliever
Mason Holloway made his collegiate debut and struck out four in his 1.2 innings.
The Bearcats put their leadoff runner on in each of the first five innings and scored twice in the third to tie game, 2-2. But Binghamton left five stranded through five innings and eight for the game.
In Game 2, DBU stretched a 3-0 lead with nine runs in the fourth inning. The Patriots added two more runs in the fifth before the Bearcats closed the scoring with a run in the seventh.
Freshman pinch hitter
Jeremy Ramos drew a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to bring in sophomore pinch hitter
Sean Sweeney.
Bolton had two more hits (both doubles) and reached base five times on the day. The Bearcats had chances to keep up offensively but left 10 stranded.
Junior starter
Conner Griffin fanned four and allowed just two hits in 2.2 innings. Redshirt junior
Ryan Bates returned to the mound for the first time since an injury shut him down last February. Bates struck out one in a scoreless sixth inning.
Bearcat pitchers limited DBU to seven hits but issued 13 walks.
After a day off Saturday with rain in the forecast, the teams will close the three-game series at 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday.
