Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
SAN ANTONIO — A complete-game shutout from ace
Carl O'Neal started off the No. 5 Rattlers' doubleheader Saturday with Texas-Permian Basin, but the Falcons bit back with a shutout of their own in Game Two as the Rattlers split the day.
St. Mary's picked up the victory in Game One 4-0 with O'Neal's (Sr., San Antonio) one-hitter followed by the Falcons' resurgence as the Rattlers fell 4-0 in Game Two.
Key hits from
Brandon Bates (Sr., Boerne, Texas) and
Al Gonzalez (RS-Fr., Pasedena, Texas) propelled the Rattlers to victory in Game 1 with a two-RBI single from Gonzalez in the third and a sac fly in the first from Bates with an RBI single in the fourth.
Rattler bats flew around for seven hits in the opener as the Falcon pitching staff recorded zero strikeouts for the game. Bates and
Nathan Humpal (Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas) led at the plate with a pair of hits each in the seven-hit victory.
O'Neal's sterling outing included four three-up, three-down innings in his seven innings tossed as he moved to 9-1 on the season. Game One brought O'Neal's fifth complete game and fourth shutout on the season as his strikeout count went to 40 on the season after Saturday's five strikeouts.
“I just tried to get in the strike zone,” said O'Neal of his one-hitter. “And try to get ahead of the batters. They were swinging at pitches I wanted them to swing at.”
The Rattlers had a catch-up in Game Two from the get-go as the Falcons (11-21, 7-16 in conference) scored two runs in their first at-bat after two walks and a single loaded the bases. The Falcons would pick up runs in the fifth and eighth to seal the victory.
Matt McClain (So., San Antonio) went 6 1/3 innings with his start to strike out six Falcons. McClain recorded the loss, falling to 4-3 on the season.
Rick Villa (RS-Jr., San Antonio) tossed one inning in relief. Villa's outing included a clutch 2/3 innings in the seventh as he forced two pop-ups with the bases loaded to close the inning.
Colter Bostick (Jr., Powell, Wyo.) stepped in but was retired without recording an out to put
Kyle Bumpas (Jr., El Paso, Texas) as the closer for the remainder of the contest with 1 2/3 innings tossed.
The Falcons smacked eight hits to the Rattlers' five with St. Mary's feeling heat from UTPB's Nick Duffield, who went the complete game with eight strikeouts. Duffield threw over 135 pitches in the shutout.
“We thought it was going to come easy,” said O'Neal of Game Two. “And we just pretty much got surprised by their second starter. (Duffield) didn't have the best stats before the game but he rolled it in and I don't think we were ready for that.”
With Saturday's split the Rattlers are still two games ahead in the loss column for first in the Heartland Conference standings, with a league record of 19-6 and 23-11 overall record.
St. Mary's finishes its final game with UTPB at 1 p.m. Sunday at the San Antonio ISD Sports Complex.
St. Mary's University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community service, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence. The University has six athletic national titles: men's basketball (1989–NAIA), baseball (2001–NCAA Div. II), softball (1986–NAIA and 2002–NCAA Div. II) and an individual national champion in men's golf (2006–NCAA Div. II) and a national academic championship in men's golf (2009–NCAA Div. II). St. Mary's also had more than 40 percent of its athletes named to conference, regional and/or national honor rolls this past year. St. Mary's student–athletes graduation rate is 65 percent, higher than the NCAA Division II average of 55 percent. To learn more about St. Mary's, visit www.rattlerathletics.com.
