Richland Run-Rules Cedar Valley in District Tourney

Tournament Central Page

MESQUITE, Texas – Dallas College Richland's baseball team beat Dallas College Cedar Valley, 14-3, in a six-inning rule-rule victory in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III South Central District Tournament Thursday at Dallas College Eastfield.

The win sends the 11^th-ranked and second-seeded Thunderducks (36-20) on to Friday's 10 a.m. semifinals against No. 2-ranked and top seed Dallas College Eastfield (43-11). The game will be broadcast on TBSN.

Richland broke a 3-3 tie in the third inning, scoring five runs. Aaron Biediger belted a three-run shot, his 17^th home run of the season, in the inning to push the Thunderducks ahead, 8-3. Jadon Fratus' walk-off homer in the sixth ended the game after Richland put another five-spot on the board. It was Fratus' 12^th home run of the year.

Biediger went 3-for-5 with a double, home run and five runs batted in. Fratus was 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBI.

Cedar Valley (37-20) scored first when Blaine Thomas belted a two-run shot in the first inning. Thomas also doubled, and drove in another run in the third, knotting the game at 3-3. But after the Thunderducks exploded for five runs in the bottom half of the inning, Richland starter Jacob Blaede kept the Suns off the board the rest of the way.

Blaede pitched all six innings, allowing three runs, four hits and two walks, and struck out seven to improve to 8-2.

Richland's Nick Chalman went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Seth Markham was 3-for-4. Jouseph Gelpi went 2-for-3 with three RBI, five runs scored and a walk. Taylor Hendrix and Noah Pena both went 2-for-4.

Thomas was 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Elian Gonzales and Cooper Brewer each had a hit for Cedar Valley.

Cedar Valley starter Jaxon Simmons went one inning, allowing two unearned runs and four hits. Landon Kinder took the loss after three innings of relief.