DBU rolls to 9-1 win in opener of series

DALLAS – A pair of two run homers, a couple of three-run innings and a salty pitching performance from Dallas Baptist starter Ryan Johnson carried the Patriots to a 9-1 win over Louisiana Tech before 1,287 on a beautiful Friday night for Conference USA baseball at Horner Ballpark.

Tech, 20-19, 9-7, saw its four-game win streak end. DBU, 29-9, 13-3, won for the 12th straight time. The last time the Patriots fell was the Tech’s home series opener with with DBU.

Johnson, the Patriots 6-6, 212-pound sophomore righthander, improved to 5-2. Tech starting lefty Jonathan Fincher, who is third all-time in Tech pitching appearances with 79, fell to 6-3 and gave up a personal season-high in earned runs with seven, but the Bulldogs could push over only one run to back him.

Before Friday’s loss, Fincher had won four CUSA games against no losses and had not lost since March 10 at Arkansas, seven appearances ago.

Johnson went six innings, gave up seven hits and one earned run, struck out 10 and walked one. Junior Jaron DeBerry pitched three scoreless to pick up his first save.

The game was a turnaround from the first time these two met this season. Fincher was the winner and Johnson the loser in Tech’s 5-2 win in Ruston March 31, the first game of a three-game series DBU won. Johnson gave up solo homers to Walker Burchfield and Dalton Davis in that one, and Fincher gave up only two runs in six innings before Landon Tomkins and Ethan Bates closed it with three scoreless innings.

In the series opener Friday, Fincher struck out four and gave up only one hit before DBU grabbed a 3-0 lead in the third on four hits, including a two-run homer by Patriots leadoff hitter Jace Grady, his sixth homer of the year.

A two-out double by Brady Drost in the first and a leadoff single from Davis in the third was all the Dogs could get off Johnson until Philip Matulia and Bates each singled to start the fifth, and Adarius Myers hit a cue ball shot that got past Patriots second baseman Miguel Santos, scored Matulia and pushed Bates to third as Myers took second on the throw home to cut the DBU lead to 3-1. But Johnson stranded them on a strikeout, pop up and groundout.

DBU answered with another three-run inning, the big blows a two-run homer by Nate Rombach and a solo shot by Nathan Humphreys, two of the home team’s six extra-base hits.
Trailing 6-1 in the sixth, Tech loaded the bases with one out but the swift-working Johnson escaped again with a pair of strikeouts.

In the seventh. Fincher threw just five pitches but the Patriots scored on a double and a sac fly to make it 7-1. The Patriots added two in the eighth off freshman reliever Nick Fraginals on a pair of hits and two walks.

Because of the rain forecast Sunday, the two clubs will play a doubleheader, each game scheduled for nine innings, Saturday at 2. Tech remains on the road next week with a single game Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Southern Miss, then three CUSA games at Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro beginning Friday at 6 p.m.

Tech is scheduled to be back in Pat Patterson Park at J.C. Love Field Tuesday, May 2 against Northwestern State.

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Lane Burroughs…
“I appreciate what Fincher did for us tonight. He gave a us a chance to win a game tonight and win this series. He had to keep going tonight and he didn’t bat an eye. He’s one of the best to do it in a Bulldog uniform, he’s an All-American and he’s earned the right for me to go out there and get him, but tonight we had to have him out there with the double header tomorrow. I told him in the fifth we needed him to go two more innings to give us a chance to save arms and go at it tomorrow. He kept fighting.

I thought our guys fought tonight and competed. Sometimes things don’t bounce your way. Johnson is one of the best we have in this league and he has great stuff, but I thought we had some great at bats. They made some great plays in the field that took runs off the board. We just didn’t get the ball in play enough to score runs and never forced them to get into their bullpen. You tip your hat to their guys, but we have to be better. They have a really good club and they have things going their way right now.”

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