DALLAS – After nearly a three-hour weather delay, Dallas Baptist would use four home runs to claim the series-opening victory over No. 19 Indiana State, 8-5, Friday night at Horner Ballpark.
 
First pitch between the top two programs in the Missouri Valley Conference came just after 10 p.m. ET in Dallas and it was a pitchers' duel through the first three innings of action.
 
Geremy Guerrero retired the nine batters he faced until Patriot left fielder River Town reached on a fielding error at third base. Dallas Baptist would make Indiana State pay for the miscue as two-hole hitter River Glenn sent a ball off the foul pole in left field for a two-run home run to jump ahead.
 
Indiana State (20-9, 7-2 MVC) answered back in the top of the fifth as the team sent seven batters to the plate. Sean Ross and Josue Urdaneta kickstarted the rally with back-to-back one-out walks. Both runners would move up on a failed pickoff attempt before Jordan Schaffer cleared the bases with a single to the gap in right field to tie the game.
 
Two batters later, redshirt senior Max Wright would tally his team-leading ninth home run of the season off the scoreboard in right field to give the Sycamores their first lead of the game at 4-2.
 
Town would put the Patriots (20-9, 5-0 MVC) back in front with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the fifth. Following a one-out single and a two-out walk – Guerrero's first walk of the game – Town went opposite field with a three-run blast to left.
 
Dallas Baptist junior Blaine Jones took Austin Cross deep over the wall in left with a solo home run – his sixth homer of the season – extending the Patriot lead over Indiana State to 6-4. Glenn added his second home run of the night with a two-run bomb in the eighth.
 
Guerrero went 6.1 innings on the mound, allowing just three base hits. The left-hander struck out eight and issued just one walk, but the five runs – four earned runs – would be enough to hand the Metamora, Ill. native his first loss of the season, falling to 7-1.
 
Schaffer was the lone Sycamore to record multiple hits while also driving in three of the five runs for ISU.
 
Dominic Hamel (7-1) earned the win for the Pats after pitching five complete innings and striking out 10. The Sycamores were able to pick up five walks against the righty while spraying three hits around the field. Peyton Sherlin tossed a career-long four innings out of the bullpen for the Patriots, striking out four and allowing just one base hit.
 
Glenn tallied two of DBU's four home runs to go along with four RBIs to lead the Patriots. Town added a home run and three RBIs from the leadoff spot.
 
UP NEXT
The two squads will return to the diamond on Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET. Both games will be available on the Patriot Broadcasting Network as well as on GoSycamores.com and on WIBQ 97.9 FM in the Wabash Valley.
 
For the latest information on Sycamore Baseball, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.