HOUSTON – The St. Mary's Baseball team sprayed the ball all over Minute Maid Park this afternoon, collecting 14 hits including four doubles and a home run but it was not enough as the Rattlers fell 8-7 to the host Central Missouri.
St. Mary's was in control most of the game but the Mules offense scored six runs in their final two at-bats for the come-from-behind victory over the Rattlers.
Fernando Zubia got the Rattlers on the board in the top half of the first with a single up the middle to score
Jake Mares, who reached on a single and moved himself into scoring position by stealing second.
Zach De La Garza got the start on the mound for St. Mary's. De La Garza retired the Mules in order in the first frame but Central Missouri evened the score at one in the bottom of the second.
The St. Mary's bats exploded in the fifth inning, scoring four runs on four hits.
Shawn Tober started the inning with a single up the middle and would advance to third on a double by
Derek Mueller.
Ryan McGowen reached on a hit by pitch to load the bases. Zubia picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly, scoring Mueller.
Mitchell Caskey blasted a ball over the left field fence for the Rattlers first home run of the season, a three-run shot to extend the Rattler lead to 5-1.
A leadoff double by
Mauro Bustamante got things going in the sixth inning for the Rattlers. Mueller reached on a fielder's choice and later moved into scoring position with a stolen base. McGowen doubled to left field scoring Bustamante and Mueller to make it a 7-1 ballgame.
De La Garza was lifted in the seventh inning after a leadoff homerun and RBI single cut the Rattlers lead to 7-4.
Collin Storms came on in relief and the Mules pushed two more runs across, making it a one-run game with two innings to play.
De La Garza's final line was 6.1 inning, seven hits, five runs, and four strikeouts.
The Mules stole three bases in the bottom of the eighth inning and plated two runs to take their first lead of the game with the Rattlers coming to bat in the top half of the ninth inning.
Back-to-back one-out singles for the Rattlers put the go-ahead run on base but Central Missouri escaped the jam to hang on to the 8-7 victory.
Zubia and
Johnny Hernandez each finished with three hits in the loss.
The Rattlers will close out the 2021 Houston Winter Invitational tomorrow as they take on Lone Star Conference foe, Arkansas Forth Smith at 2 p.m.
