LUBBOCK, Texas – Three crooked innings kept the undefeated season alive for the St. Mary's Baseball team on Saturday as they came from behind again to defeat Lubbock Christian, 16-7.
The Rattlers (5-0, 5-0 Lone Star Conference) trailed 2-0 after two complete and 7-4 after five, but plated 12 in the final four innings – including seven in the ninth for the lopsided victory over the Chaps (2-3, 2-3 Lone Star).
Junior left-handed pitcher
Anthony Chavez (El Paso, Texas) picked up his second win of the season after throwing five innings. He allowed all seven runs (four earned), walking one and striking out three. Senior right-handed hurler
Mason Minister (San Antonio) shut the Chaps down in the final four frames, striking out a career-best eight without allowing a hit. Minister threw 55 pitches on the day and 40 were for strikes in earning his first save of the year.
For the second-straight game, all nine hitters reached base at least once – and all nine had at least one hit as the Rattlers scored their 16 runs on 15 hits and benefitted from five LCU errors. After all 12 hits on Friday were singles, the Rattlers responded with five extra-base hits on Saturday, two doubles, a triple and two home runs.
Sophomore
Jake Mares (Fort Worth, Texas) led the way with three base knocks, going 3-for-6 with two runs and two RBIs. Senior
Johnny Hernandez (El Paso) hit his second home run of the year – a three-run shot in the third inning to give the Rattlers a short 4-2 advantage. Hernandez led the game with four RBIs and he also scored twice. Junior
Scott Short (Ingram, Texas) added a two-run bomb in the ninth for his first of the year. Both
Steven Wynn (San Antonio) – who entered the game in the seventh as a pinch runner – and sophomore
Ryan McGowen (San Antonio) went 2-for-2 on the day. McGowen and senior
Keaton Milford (New Braunfels, Texas) each scored three runs to lead the contest.
Lubbock Christian scored its seven runs on nine hits and was aided by three miscues by the Rattlers. Relief pitcher Shandon Herrera was tagged for the loss (0-1) as he surrendered four runs on six hits in the middle three innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lubbock Christian scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the first for the 2-0 early lead. Chavez struck out two in the second to retire the Chaps in order.
McGowen tripled to kick off the third and scored when Mares hit a single between the short stop and third baseman. With two outs, Milford walked and Hernandez blasted a home run to left field to plate three and give the Rattlers the 4-2 lead.
The Chaps tied the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth after three straight hits and took the 7-4 lead in the fifth after an error and three consecutive hits.
With one out in the sixth, McGowen walked and moved to third on a single to left off the bat of Mares. Senior
Andrew Perez (El Paso) singled to centerfield to score McGowen, Milford followed with a double to score both Mares and Perez and Hernandez singled to center to plate Milford for the 8-7 advantage.
Senior
Patrick Fennell (El Paso) singled up the middle in the seventh and Wynn came in to pinch run for him. Short bunted Wynn to second and McGowen bunted for a single to put runners at the corners. Wynn scored on a groundout to the pitcher by
Derek Mueller (Carrolton, Texas) for the 9-7 lead.
With one out in the top of the ninth, Wynn singled up the middle and Short homered down the left field line for two more runs and the 11-7 advantage. McGowen was hit by a pitch and scampered to third on an error by the short stop off the bat of Mueller. Mares continued his good day with a single to center to plate McGowen. Perez hit a high chopper to third to score Mueller but recorded the second out. Milford reached on an error by the second baseman and Mares scored from second base to double up the Chaps, 14-7. Hernandez reached on a throwing error by the third baseman and Milford scored all the way from first. Junior
Mitchell Caskey (Houston, Texas) – who also led off the inning – was hit by a pitch to reach first. Wynn singled to right and Hernandez scored, but a great throw by the right fielder gunned down Caskey at third for the final out with the score 16-7. Minister struck out a pair and got a foul out to third in the bottom of the ninth to preserve the victory.
TEAM & INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES
- Mason Minister struck out a career-high eight batters – doing so in four innings – to earn his first save of the 2020 season. He fanned six of the final seven batters he faced.
- The four RBIs by Johnny Hernandez are the most this season by a Rattler.
- Ryan McGowen hit the first triple of the year for the team.
- The five extra-base hits for the Rattlers are the most in a game this season. In the second game of the year, the team had three doubles and a home run for four extra-base knocks. On Saturday, the club hit two doubles, a triple and two home runs.
- In the two games against Lubbock Christian this season, the pitching staff has struck out a combined 29 after fanning 11 today.
UP NEXT
St. Mary's remains in Lubbock for the series finale scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Rattlers then return home to host a four-game series against West Texas A&M beginning Friday at 5 p.m.
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