Crusader’s baseball lose to California Lutheran

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The University of Dallas baseball team faced off against California Lutheran University in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 7. Coming into the day as the number 2 ranked team in the nation, Cal Lutheran won both games by a score of 10-3 in the first game, and 7-5 in the second. The Crusaders held up their own in both games, with Cal Lutheran pulling away in the final innings both times. 

The Kingsmen took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning of game one, scoring off a ground out to second base. Crusader defense held strong after that, shutting out Cal Lutheran through the next three innings before taking a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the fifth. The Kingsmen responded with three runs of their own, taking back the lead and going up to 4-2. The Crusaders managed to steal one run back in the following inning to make it a one score game, but a six-run onslaught by Cal Lutheran in the bottom of the sixth sealed the deal for the Kingsmen in game one.

Cal Lutheran followed a similar formula in game two, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first game. Dallas responded by piling on three runs of their own in the third inning to take a 3-2 lead. However, the Crusaders left two runners in scoring position that inning, which would end up being a deciding factor in the game. The Kingsmen racked up four runs over the next two innings compared to the Crusaders’ one, taking a 6-4 lead going into the seventh inning. The seventh saw each team score a run, with the Crusaders again leaving a crucial runner left on third. The Kingsmen shut out the Crusaders for the remainder of the game, wrapping up with a final score of 7-5.

Runners left in scoring position played a crucial role for the Kingsmen in their victories this weekend. Following the game, senior outfielder Jake Schwartz showed confidence in his team. “It’s nothing we haven’t done before,” Schwartz said. “We’ve got to make plays and come up with hits to bring guys across.” 

Looking ahead into the week, the Crusaders face off against Chapman University of Orange, in California on Monday, March 9 at 4 p.m.. Chapman comes into the game as the number three ranked team in the nation and sports a record of 10-3. Dallas then opens conference play with three games against Schreiner University next weekend, starting with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 14, before finishing off the weekend with a game at home on Sunday, March 15 at 1 p.m

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