Baseball Goes Extra Innings and Picks Up First Victory

Baseball Goes Extra Innings and Picks Up First Victory

The Blackburn College Baseball Team battled into the 10th inning to take a 7-6 non-conference victory over the University of Dallas on Thursday afternoon in Irving, Texas.  The Beavers struck quickly with a run in the top of the first inning as Christian Padilla led off the game with an infield single, Steven Diaz then reached on sacrifice bunt and an error.  Tyler Jackson singled to load the bases, after an out, Trevor Platt singled in Padilla.  The University of Dallas answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half aided by a pair of walks.  Isaac Garrett relieved and provided three and a third innings of solid relief to keep the Beavers in the game. Blackburn tied the game in the second on an RBI double by Diaz. 

The Crusaders regained the lead on a leadoff homerun in the bottom half of the second inning.  Dallas then added single runs in the fifth and sixth to take a 5-2 lead.  Sammy Gordon who entered the game in the fourth, gave Blackburn six and a third of outstanding relief. The Beavers then unleashed a four-run seventh.  Mitchell Binder walked then Padilla reached on an error, Diaz then sacrifed them up, Tyler Jackson reached on another error to score Binder.  After Ryan Steen was hit by a pitch, Platt cut the lead to 5-4 on a sacrifice fly.  Logan Presley then walked and Austin Presley delivered a two-run single to give the Beavers the 6-5 lead.  The Crusaders knotted the game in the bottom half.  Blackburn stranded a runner in the 8th and two in the 9th but Gordon kept the Crusaders off the board wth a big play in the bottom of the 9th as Platt cut down the winning run at third base after a flyout to send the game into extra innings.

In the 10th, Padilla lined a single to right and then Diaz singled.  After an infield pop-out, Steen doubled over the left fielders head to give Blackburn a 7-6 lead.  Gordon worked around a two-out error in the bottom of the 10th to give the Beavers their first win of the year.

"It was a really good win for us, we have definitely shown some great improvement after dropping our season opener 14-2 to Dallas," said Blackburn Coach Mike Neal.  "Our kids really battled hard and were rewarded for their energy and efforts they showed today," added Neal.

Diaz, Padilla and Platt had two hits apiece to lead the eleven hit Blackburn attack.  

The University of Dallas is now 10-5 on the season while Blackburn is now 1-7 and will begin a three-game series against Dallas Christian on Friday and Saturday.