SEGUIN, Texas --
Aaron Aleman struck out seven and went six innings, and
Keaton Bohrmann hit a two-run home run as the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs opened the 2014 baseball season with a convincing 9-1 victory Friday over Chapman (Calif.).
At a damp and cold Katt-Isbel Field, the Bulldogs (1-0) took advantage of five Chapman errors to score four unearned runs over the first four innings.
Chapman, out of Orange, Calif., dropped to 1-1 with the loss.
The Bulldogs broke the game open with a three-run fifth inning that included the Bohrmann (San Antonio/Johnson) home run to left-center field. Bohrmann, TLU's sophomore third baseman, drove in
Derek Kanas (New Braunfels/Canyon) with the blast.
One at-bat earlier, Kanas singled home
Christian DeBlanc (Kingwood/Kingwood) for the fifth run of the game. DeBlanc started the frame with a double to right field.
DeBlanc led TLU with three hits. He also scored two runs and had an RBI.
Mason Briscoe (Needville/Needville) also scored a pair of runs.
Aleman (Corpus Christi/Incarnate Word Academy) did not allow a hit to Chapman until the fourth. The junior right-hander struck out seven and allowed one unearned run.
Conner Capdau (Sugar Land/Lamar Consolidated) pitched the final three innings for TLU and notched his first career save. Capdau struck out four, walked two and surrendered just one hit.
Sophomore right-hander Braden Riddle took the loss for Chapman. Riddle allowed seven runs (three earned), struck out five and walked two.
TLU's win was the Bulldogs' second win over Chapman in five all-time meetings. The previous four games took place in the championship rounds of the 2005 and 2006 NCAA Division III West Regionals in Orange, Calif. Chapman kept TLU from making NCAA DIII College World Series appearances in those two seasons.
TLU returns to Katt-Isbel Field on Saturday for a noon doubleheader with the University of Texas at Tyler. TLU will have live stats and video on tlubulldogs.com for both ends of the non-conference doubleheadear.
TLU and UT Tyler each played in the American Southwest Conference a year ago. TLU is in its first season in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Both teams played in the NCAA Division III West Regional in Austin at the end of last season.
