Richland Pounds 15 Hits to Clinch District Tourney Bye

DALLAS – Dallas College Richland's eighth-ranked baseball team wrapped up the No. 2 seed in next week's National Junior College Athletic Association Division III South Central District Tournament, following its 13-7 win over Dallas College North Lake Friday.

The Thunderducks (31-22, 20-9 Dallas Athletic Conference) earned a single-elimination round bye in the postseason tournament, and will play the highest remaining seed 1 p.m. Thursday at Dallas College Eastfield. It is the third straight year the Thunderducks have finished as the DAC regular season runner-up.

Richland took a 3-0 lead before North Lake's Shaun Williams hit a two-run homer in the second inning as the Blazers cut the gap to a run. Lukas Boone's RBI single to right scored Sean Amarante, and Robby Lopez's RBI groundout gave Richland a four-run lead. Trey Smith belted a three-run homer to right-center to make it 9-2 in the third.

It was Smith's 10^th home run of the season. He was 2 for 3 with a stolen base, and was hit by a pitch three times.

North Lake (22-33, 12-17) had runners on the corners in the fourth, but Thunderducks reliever Lucas Shipman got out of the jam. In the bottom half of the inning, Boone laced a run-scoring single into center to extend the lead to 10-2.

Boone was 2 for 3 with a pair of walks.  

Michael Holden's RBI single to right scored Leo Salas, and Parker Burt's RBI groundout brought home Harrison Golden as the Blazers pulled within six in the fifth. But the Thunderducks tacked on three more runs in the sixth, highlighted by Jhosnel Ruiz's RBI single up the middle. The Blazers picked up one in the eighth and two in the ninth before Richland closer Luis De La Cruz recorded the final out.

Ruiz was 3 for 5 with a double with two RBI and a stolen base. Amarante doubled twice, and drove in a run. Connor Haelzle was 2 for 5 with an RBI and a stolen base. Caleb Solis was 2 for 4. Jordan Owns and Lopez each had a hit, and drove in a run. Bobby Gutierrez had a sacrifice fly to drive in a run. 

Williams went 3 for 4 with two RBI and two stolen bases for the Blazers. Lincoln Skinner was 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles and an RBI. Holden and Burt both were 2 for 5 with an RBI. Salas was 2 for 5 with a double. Cole Chapman and Golden each went 2 for 4.

The Thunderducks pounded 15 hits a day after they won the series opener with 17 hits. North Lake also had 15 hits. 

Richland starter Braeden Baker went the first 2 2/3 innings, allowing five hits, two runs and no walks, and had two strikeouts. Shipman gave up six hits, two runs and a walk, and fanned four in 2 2/3 innings. Mason Posey went three innings, giving up two hits, a run and no walks, and struck out two. De La Cruz gave up two hits, two runs, one earned, and two walks.

Richland hosts North Lake 12 p.m. Saturday to finish the regular season.