The Dallas Titans turned a one-run game into a convincing victory Thursday at Oran Good Park, erupting for six runs in the fifth inning to defeat Texas Elite 9-5.
Texas Elite struck first in the opening inning on Chris Duckworth's sacrifice fly, but Dallas answered in the second when Steven Baker lined a two-run single to put the Titans ahead 2-1.
The game remained close until the fifth, when the Titans broke it open with six runs on six hits. Greg Kolesar started the rally with an RBI double before Eric Bruner delivered the biggest swing of the day, launching a three-run home run to center field. Korey Gillespie followed with an RBI triple, and Steely Gill capped the inning with an RBI single to give Dallas a commanding lead.
Stephen Patterson earned the win after allowing five runs on seven hits over six innings while walking none. Matt Nelson recorded the save, while William Bush took the loss for Texas Elite after surrendering nine runs—seven earned—over 4⅓ innings.
Dallas finished with 11 hits, led by Gill, Tim Nelson, and Gillespie, who each collected two. Bruner drove in a team-high three runs, while Baker added two RBIs and Jacob Calderon stole two bases to help fuel the offense.
Texas Elite was led by Trent Burgess and Justin Moore, who each recorded two hits, while Duckworth drove in two runs. Despite collecting seven hits, Texas Elite could not recover after Dallas' decisive fifth-inning outburst.