by Andrew J. Ferraro
Staff Writer
Probably the only thing that could overshadow Cougars third baseman Dustin Carr's record-setting night would be if another member of the team came in the game as a substitute shortstop, collected three hits in five trips to the plate and belted two mammoth homers, driving in five runs in the process.
Sound a little unrealistic?
That's exactly what true freshman Robert Dieudonné did Tuesday night in the Cougars' 13-5 shelling of the Baylor Bears in front of 633 fans at Cougar Field.
"Yeah, it was really something nice to hit two homers tonight." Dieudonné said, "especially when you enter the game not expecting to bat and doing it in your first four or five at-bats."
Dieudonné is mostly known for his nasty curveball that he has used this season to record his team-leading five saves.
"My job is pitching first." Dieudonné said, "and getting to play the field is just an added bonus."
Dieudonné was substituted into the game during the first inning after the regular shortstop, junior Shaun Skrehot - who had played in every inning this season - was pulled due to a mental mistake in the field.
"I took him out of the game to make him realize that he needs to keep his head in the game," Noble said.
Carr might have been the hero on any other given night, since he contributed to the Cougars' winning cause with his 4-for-4 performance, including two runs and an RBI.
Carr also hit two doubles, which tied the single season school record for doubles (22) and total bases (140).
"It's just been a real exciting year for me," Carr said.
"When I was a young guy on the team, I had a lot of the older guys show me the ropes, and I think that has helped me in the long run."
With the win, junior pitcher Jon McDonald upped his season record to 6-2 as he pitched six and two-thirds innings while yielding nine hits, three runs, four walks and five strikeouts.
On the year, the Cougars improved to 32-17, while the Bears fell to 29-20.