Baseball Wins Battle of the Saints Series

SAN ANTONIO – A pair of suicide squeezes by junior DH Mac Papini helped lead the St. Mary's Baseball team to a series win in the Battle of the Saints on Sunday afternoon. The Rattlers won the final two games in the set by the identical scores of 4-3.

St. Mary's improves to 11-10 on the year and 9-9 in Lone Star Conference play, while St. Edward's falls to 5-10 in both Lone Star play and overall. The Rattlers scored their four runs on nine hits and committed one error, while the Hilltoppers plated three runs on five hits and also had a fielding mistake on the day.

Senior Dylan Bells (Regina, Saskatchewan) pitched six innings, allowing two runs on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts. With the win, Bells improves to 3-0 in 2021. Junior Collin Storms earned his second save of the year, giving up one run on one hit, fanning one and walking one over the final three frames.

Papini, a junior from San Antonio, had two of the team's three RBI on the day with his two suicide squeeze bunts and he was 1-for-3. Senior OF Derek Mueller (Carrolton, Texas), senior 2B Johnny Hernandez (El Paso, Texas) and sophomore 1B Brandon Broughton (Corpus Christi, Texas) recorded two hits each and the top six in the lineup all reached base at least once.

Senior Scott Short (Ingram, Texas) started behind the plate for the first time this season for the Rattlers. Short has played three different defensive positions this season (C, 1B, OF) and has been used offensively as both a designated hitter and a pinch-hitter.

For the first time in the series, the Rattlers struck first in the game. Mueller singled to left center and junior Jake Mares (Fort Worth, Texas) beat out a throw to first on a sacrifice bunt attempt. On a double steal, the Hilltoppers catcher overthrew second, allowing Mueller to scamper home for the 1-0 lead.

St. Edward's took the lead with two singles, a walk and a hit batter in the top of the third, 2-1.

In the fourth, StMU tied the game. With one out, senior Mitchell Caskey (Houston, Texas) singled through the right side and Hernandez followed with a single past a diving third baseman putting runners on the corners. Papini laid down the perfect bunt for a suicide squeeze for the 2-2 tie.

With one out in the fifth, junior Ryan McGowen (San Antonio) was hit by a pitch, stole second base and scored on a single to left center by Mueller for the 3-2 advantage.
Broughton led off the eighth with a seeing-eye single between the short stop and third baseman and with one out Hernandez singled just to the right of second base. Papini again bunted and the first baseman looked towards home and second, but didn't have a play anywhere as Broughton scored for the 4-2 lead.

The Hilltoppers got a run on a solo home run in the ninth, but the Rattlers hung tough for the series win. This is the fourth series the Blue & Gold have won this season.

St. Mary's heads to league-leading West Texas A&M for a three game series next weekend. Game one is set for 6 p.m. on Friday and the teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.