April 20, 2007
It took 13 innings of baseball and a walk-off three-run home run off the bat of Trevor Head before Dallas Baptist University was able to hand the University of Texas-Pan American a 7-4 road setback in game one of a three-game series at Patriot Field in Dallas, TX, on Thursday (Apr. 19).
The Broncs dropped to 15-31 on the season while the Patriots improved to 21-18 with the late-night heroics.
The game began with Dallas Baptist jumping out to a quick two-run lead after an Austin Krum walk turned into a run off a Matt Tucker triple. Tucker accounted for the second run of the inning when Nick Santos singled to center field to put the Patriots up by a 2-0 margin early in the contest.
The Broncs rallied back in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead when Osiel Flores (Mission, TX/UT-Brownsville) hit an RBI single to center field, plating lead-off man Roly Gonzalez (Miami, FL/UNC-Greensboro). In the following at-bat, senior third baseman Patrick Brooks (Vallejo, CA/Santa Rosa J.C.) recorded his team-leading sixth home run of the season, scoring two-runs to put UTPA up by a score of 3-2.
After three scoreless innings in which freshman Dominic Tognietti (Katy, TX/James E. Taylor H.S.) was the only batter to record a hit between the two squads, the Patriots scored a run in the bottom of the seventh frame when UTPA pitcher Cesar Pena (Harlingen, TX/Harlingen South H.S.) walked Crum to load the bases before hitting the next batter, allowing an uncontested run from third base to knot the score at three runs apiece.
The Broncs reclaimed the lead in the top of the ninth inning when Leighton Autrey (Stephenville, TX/Navarro J.C.) led off the inning with a single to left field before being plated by a Blake Whittlesey (Marble Falls, TX/UT-Brownsville) RBI single to center field with two outs on the board, making it a 4-3 ball game.
Refusing to let the game end in regulation, the Patriots led off the final at-bat with a Garrett Baker single to center field before stealing second base to move into scoring position. Baker moved to third base when Krum grounded out to second base, and later scored when Tucker grounded out to first base unassisted to send the game into extra innings.
UTPA had a chance to end the game in the top of the 12th inning when Whittlesey led off the inning with a double to left field before Flores made it on base after being hit by a pitch. Brooks reached on an error by the pitcher off a sacrifice bunt to load the bases, but Ruben Shives (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg H.S.) grounded into a double play to end the inning, leaving two Bronc base runners stranded.
With Alex Guajardo (La Joya, TX/La Joya H.S.) in to pitch for Ray Silva (Clearlake, CA/Santa Ana J.C.), Head picked up his first hit of the ball game. Head's hit was a three-run blast over the right field wall to end the ball game at the four hour, forty-four minute mark.
Brooks led the Broncs offensively with three-hits, and two RBI, including his sixth homer of the season. Flores, Whittlesey and Autrey each notched multi-hit games with two hits apiece while Flores and Whittlesey recorded an RBI each.
Tucker was the only Patriot to record a multi-hit game, going two-for-four at the plate to go along with a three-RBI performance.
Dallas Baptist hurler Ryan Goins improved to 5-1 on the season with his late two-inning performance in which he refused to allow a hit while Guajardo recorded the loss, falling to 1-4 on the year.
The Broncs return to action in game two of a three-game series against the Patriots on Friday (Apr. 20) in Dallas, TX, at Patriot Field with game time slated for 6:00 p.m.
UTPA Sports Information
