TLU baseball takes two of three from Southwestern, Irby named SCAC Hitter of the Week
(Seguin) – The Texas Lutheran baseball team opened a weekend non-conference series against Southwestern with a 12-7 win at Katt-Isbel Field Friday before splitting the final two games in Georgetown with a 14-3 win and an 11-8 loss.
Senior first baseman Cole Irby was named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week for his performance in the series and last Tuesday’s win over Mary Hardin Baylor. Irby hit .647 (11-17) with eight RBIs in four games last week, and had at least two hits in each game.
The Bulldogs scored a combined nine runs over the seventh and eighth innings to erase the Pirates’ 5-3 advantage entering the seventh in Friday’s win.
TLU stole seven bases on the night. Alex Cornman stole three bases, and Cullen Motsinger had two.
Irby drove in four runs and had two hits, and Cornman scored twice and had two hits. Blade Strzelczyk and Austin Colon also scored a pair of runs.
Randy Huerta and Colon also each had two hits. One of Huerta’s hits was a triple to the left-center gap.
TLU pitchers struck out 17 Southwestern batters. Starting pitcher Matthew Hickey struck out 12 in six innings.
Nolan Tenpas notched the victory in relief. The right-hander worked the final three innings, allowing just two hits and two runs. He struck out five and walked one.
In Saturday’s early game, the Bulldogs scored 14 runs on 16 hits and held Southwestern to four hits and three runs.
Tyler Post went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI in the Bulldog victory.
Alex Cornman added two hits and two RBI, and Collin Docker drove in a pair of runs.
Joe Jimenez and Cullen Motsinger each scored three times, and Jimenez stole a pair of bases.
Joe Burch picked up the win with six innings of quality work on the mound. Burch struck out eight and walked just one. He allowed only four hits.
In game two, TLU jumped out to a 4-0 lead with four runs in the top of the first. Cole Irby and Motsinger each had RBI in the first frame.
Southwestern countered with three runs in the bottom of the first and two more runs in the second.
The Pirates withstood a three-run TLU seventh by scoring two runs in the seventh to take an 11-8 lead.
Blade Strzelczyk walked five times for TLU. He tied the school record for single-game walks. He shares the mark with TLU Hall of Famer Aaron Crais.
Irby drove in two and had four hits.
TLU is now 5-2 overall. Southwestern is 1-7.
The Bulldogs hit the road for their next series. TLU plays a three-game conference series at East Texas Baptist in Marshall, Texas on Friday and Saturday.
Texas Lutheran splits pair of home volleyball matches Saturday with Centenary
(Seguin) – Texas Lutheran and Centenary split a pair of Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women’s volleyball matches Saturday afternoon in TLU’s Memorial Gymnasium (Jim Shuler Court).
Centenary took the early match in five sets – 24-26, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17, 15-6.
TLU captured the second match in four sets – 25-18, 21-25, 25-19, 25-18.
In the Bulldogs’ victory, Cailey Young and Paige Day recorded 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Day added three aces, 11 digs and a block assist.
Young collected two aces and five total blocks.
The Bulldogs registered 12 total blocks in the conference victory. Baylie Baccinelli led TLU with six blocks. Kacie Hall and Keriann Kallus each had four blocks.
Hall dished out 25 assists, and Lexi Morris tallied 23 digs.
TLU hit .154 for the match and held Centenary to .071.
In the early match, Day paced the Bulldogs with 15 kills. She also posted 16 digs.
In the loss, Morris had 23 digs, and Kallus collected four blocks.
Hayden Smyers and Kallus notched 12 and 11 kills, respectively, in the first match.
The Bulldogs are now 1-5 overall and 1-5 in the SCAC.
Centenary is 1-3 overall and 1-3 in the SCAC.
TLU’s next two matches take place in Colorado Springs, Colo. against Colorado College on March 19 and March 20.
TLU Track & Field squads combine for two individual wins, 20 top-five finishes at Trinity Invitational
(San Antonio) – Texas Lutheran Women’s and Men’s Track & Field combined for two individual victories and 20 total top-five finishes at the Trinity Invitational, held Friday and Saturday at the Trinity Multipurpose Stadium.
Jackie Mora, the reigning SCAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week, won the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.17 seconds. Mora edged Bayli Luke of Concordia Texas, who crossed the line in 59.27.
On the men’s side, Dillan Wendel won the 800 with a time of 1 minute, 58.33 seconds. Wendel won by more than two seconds over Sammy Magallen of Hardin-Simmons.
Also in the women’s 400, Ja’Keia Williams posted a third-place finish with a time of 1:00.75.
Caeli Taylor took third in the women’s 800 in a time of 2:28.15, and the Bulldogs’ 4×100 relay team of Lily Dawson, Mora, Mia Zamora, and Trinity Murdock was fourth.
The women’s 4×400 relay captured a runner-up finish with a time of 4:13.23. The team included Williams, Taylor, Ashley Adams, and Mora.
In the women’s pole vault, Dawson and Carson Gebhardt tied for fifth with clearances of 2.89 meters (9 feet, 5 3/4 inches).
Courtney Burnett produced a fourth-place finish in the women’s long jump with a leap of 5.02 meters (16-5 3/4).
Tia Hart and Dejah Carr went second and third in the women’s shot put. Hart recorded a toss of 11.54 (37-10 1/2), and Carr registered a mark of 11.40 (37-5).
Hart also captured a second-place showing in the javelin with a mark of 35.93 (117-10).
Lydia Lyssy finished fourth in the discus with a throw of 34.46 (113-0), and Carr was fourth in the hammer throw with a toss of 43.51 (142-9).
Scottie Reyes was the runner-up in the discus after a throw of 43.00 (141-1)
Reyes captured a third-place showing in the shot put with a toss of 14.80 (48-6 3/4), and Zachary Herman was fifth in the same event after a throw of 14.76 (48-5 1/4).
Reyes was fourth in the hammer with a mark of 47.73 (156-7 1/4).
The men’s 4×100 relay of Josiah Damiano, Kaleb Brachett, Chandler Hampton, and Ezrael Powell was fourth with a time of 42.52.
Michael White took the runner-up spot in the high jump with a clearance of 1.88 meters (6 feet, 2 inches). Caimen McDonough was fifth in the high jump with a leap of 1.80 (5-10 3/4).
Troy Stephenson placed third in the pole vault with a clearance of 4.55 (14-11).
TLU women’s soccer rallies for 3-2 conference road win at University of Dallas
(Irving) – The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs scored three second-half goals to erase a road deficit and capture a 3-2 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference victory over University of Dallas.
Sunday afternoon at the University of Dallas Soccer Field, the Bulldogs erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits.
Samantha Martinez put TLU on the scoreboard with a goal in the 58th minute.
After Dallas regained the lead in the 60th minute, Kelly Wolfe evened the match again with a goal in the 74th minute. Mariela Candelario delivered the assist.
Six minutes later, TLU’s Nani Sanchez knocked home the game-winner. Sanchez scored in the 80th minute.
TLU improved to 1-2 overall and to 1-1 in the SCAC. Dallas dropped to 1-1 overall and to 1-1 in the SCAC.
Dallas out-shot TLU 14-10 overall and 8-4 in shots on goal, but the Bulldogs made the most of their on-goal shots, making three of their four shots on goal.
Abigail Walker received the win in goal for the Bulldogs. Walker made six saves.
The Bulldogs play again next Friday with a 4:30 p.m. home match against St. Thomas (Texas). TLU will have live video and live stats for the match. The links can be found on tlubulldogs.com.