FORT WORTH -- The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs erupted for 16 runs and 15 hits in a 16-0 road rout Tuesday of former conference foe Texas Wesleyan.
The game was called after seven innings due to the 10-run rule.
TLU, a member of the NCAA Division III, took a 4-0 lead with a four-run fourth and then put up 12 runs in the fifth.
At Fort Worth's LaGrave Field, 17 Bulldogs went to the plate in the fifth.
Tony Gennusa (Kingwood/Kingwood),
Derek Kanas (New Braunfels/Canyon),
Tyler Carollo (Houston/Waltrip) and
Von Wendel (Austin/Anderson) each reached base twice in the frame.
Kanas, Carollo and Wendel each scored twice in the inning.
TLU improved to 17-7 overall with the non-conference win. TLU and TWU each played in the NAIA's Heart of Texas Conference from 1988 to 1999. TWU remains a member of the NAIA and plays in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
The Rams dropped to 13-12 overall.
Gennusa, TLU's center-fielder, drove in three runs and collected two hits.
Danny Brauckman (Austin/McNeil), catching for the second straight day, went 1-for-2 with three RBI.
Carollo scored three times, recorded two hits and drove in a pair, and
Von Wendel doubled and scored three runs.
Zach Jacobs (Brenham/Brenham) went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBI.
Keaton Bohrmann (San Antonio/Johnson) and Kanas each went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
TLU's 16 runs scored are the most scored in a game since a 19-1 win over Sul Ross State in 2012.
The TLU school record for runs in a game is 33, scored against Corpus Christi (now Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) in 1960. The school record for runs in an inning is 17 (against Northwest Iowa in 1988).
Not lost in Tuesday's offensive explosion was the solid start from senior left-hander
Christian DeBlanc (Kingwood/Kingwood). TLU's normal right-fielder and part-time pitcher tossed five innings of shutout baseball and improved to 1-1 in 2014.
DeBlanc struck out three and worked around two walks and six hits. He notched the first pitching win of his collegiate career.
DeBlanc is pitching in 2014 after not taking the mound in 2012 or 2013. He last pitched in 2011, when he tossed 9-2/3 innings and went 0-0 with a 5.59 ERA.
TLU and TWU play again Wednesday in Fort Worth. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Fort Worth's LaGrave Field. A link to TWU's live stats can be found on tlubulldogs.com.
