LONGVIEW, Texas -- The LeTourneau baseball team completed a three-game sweep of visiting Dillard on Saturday with a pair of wins at Conrad-Vernon Field. Behind five homers on the day, the YellowJackets took the opener 11-6 before earning a 12-2 win in the finale.
It is the first series sweep of the year for LeTourneau (4-3).
GAME ONE: LeTourneau 11, Dillard 6
Dane Jones hit two home runs and LeTourneau rallied from a 6-3 deficit with eight runs over a two-inning stretch to take Saturday's opener, 11-6.
Jones went 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBIs, while becoming the second YellowJacket this season to hit two homers in a game (
Kyle Maysonave). Maysonave also homered in the win and had two hits.
Dillard put up a four-spot on the board in the top of the first. LeTourneau quickly answered with three in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by Jones' first blast of the day as he hit a two-run homer to center field. The YellowJackets trimmed the margin to 4-3 later in the frame when
Andrew Klingenstein stole third and scored on the subsequent throwing error, to make it 4-3.
Down 6-3 in the fifth, LeTourneau scored five times to take the lead for good. Maysonave launched his fourth homer of the year -- a two-run shot to left field -- that brought LeTourneau within 6-5. The YellowJackets loaded the bases with two outs and
Blake Vice was hit by a pitch before
Ethan Wood delivered a two-run double to make it 8-6.
LeTourneau added three runs in the sixth as Jones hit his second homer of the day, another two-run blast to left field. Jones has four homers on the year.
Aman Patel (1-1) got off to a rocky start on the mound, but settled down and retired his final eight hitters as he went five innings and earned the win.
Dalton Pickett picked up the two-inning save as he allowed just two hits.
Cole Thompson also had two hits as the YellowJackets totaled nine in the win.
GAME TWO: LeTourneau 12, Dillard 2
A six-run second inning ignited a run-rule win for the YellowJackets in the finale, 12-2.
Thompson and
Jaggar Vaughn both homered in the win and
Riley Davis allowed just one earned run over five innings of work in his start on the mound.
Vaughn kicked off the scoring with a solo homer down the left field line to leadoff the second inning. The homer was his first of the year.
The YellowJackets sent 12 men to the plate in the second and scored six times.
Lane Williams had a two-run single after Vaughn's homer and Maysonave added an RBI single later in the inning. LeTourneau then scored three times in the third as Thompson produced an RBI double that helped the YellowJackets take a 9-0 lead.
Thompson finished 2-for-4, including a solo homer in the fifth inning. Maysonave, Jones, and Vaughn all had two hits apiece.
Davis (1-0) went five innings to earn the win after allowing one earned run on three hits with four strikeouts.
Will Bond and
Shane Salzman combined for two scoreless innings to end the game.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY
UP NEXT
LeTourneau opens ASC action next weekend at Ozarks.
