SAN ANTONIO – Sixteen straight runs and six hit batsmen helped lift St. Mary's to the series sweep over Texas-Permian Basin on Saturday with the 17-7 seven-inning victory.
The Rattlers won their 20
th game of the season, hitting the benchmark for the 49
th time in school history and won their sixth-straight in 2021. It is also the 19
th time this year and the fifth-straight contest the Rattlers have collected double figures in hits. StMU is now 20-14 on the year and 17-13 in Lone Star Conference action.
All nine hitters reached base at least twice and senior
Johnny Hernandez (El Paso, Texas) and junior
Jake Mares (Fort Worth, Texas) each had three hits and three RBI to pace the club. Hernandez also hit his first home run of the year.
Junior
Collin Storms (Lewisville, Texas) improved to 2-4 after pitching four solid innings in relief. He allowed two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out five. Freshman
Karlo Kalifa (Round Rock, Texas) started the contest in a no decision, throwing two innings where he gave up four runs on four hits, walking four and fanning one. Senior
Johnny Panatex (Pflugerville, Texas) closed out the game, giving up one run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout in one inning.
Over the three-game series, the Rattlers scored 49 runs on 49 hits and were 11-for-12 in stolen bases with 18 walks.
Like they did in the first two games of the series, the Falcons (11-18, 8-16 Lone Star) struck first scoring three runs in the first off a home run and added one in the second for the 4-0 advantage.
Storms came in at the top of the third and retired the side in order on five pitches. In the Rattlers half of the third, junior
Ryan McGowen (San Antonio) walked with one out and on a perfect hit and run, senior
Derek Mueller (Carrolton, Texas) rolled one through the right side and McGowen hurried to third. Mueller stole second and on throw down, the ball hit the pitcher, allowing McGowen to score. Senior
Fernando Zubia (El Paso) followed with a single to center, plating Mueller to cut the deficit in half, 4-2.
With one out, Hernandez singled to deep in the hole at shortstop and on a hit and run he advanced to third with a single down the right field line by freshman
Devin Goins (San Antonio). A sacrifice bunt by McGowen scored Hernandez. Mueller walked and Mares tied the score with a single down the left field line.
Senior
Mitchell Caskey (Houston) singled just past the third baseman with one out in the fifth, he moved to second on a single through the right side by sophomore
Mauro Bustamante (Helotes, Texas) and they both scored on a home run to right center by Hernandez – the 10
th of his career – to give the Rattlers the lead for the first time. McGowen walked, stole second and scored on back-to-back errors as the catcher overthrew second and the centerfielder misplayed the ball for the 8-4 advantage.
Mares doubled to left center to kick things off in the sixth and with one out sophomore
Brandon Broughton (Corpus Christi, Texas) was hit by a pitch. The pair pulled off the double steal and scored on a flare single to right by Bustamante. A successful delayed steal moved Bustamante up 90 feet and Hernandez walked. Goins crushed a ball that hit the batter's eye in centerfield to score a pair. McGowen was plunked in the back of the arm and after a pitching change, Mueller was also hit to load the bases. Mares legged out an infield single to short and McGowen scampered home on the play for two RBI. Zubia walked and Broughton was hit in the middle of his numbers on the first pitch for an RBI. A wild pitch scored Mares for the eighth run of the frame and a 16-4 lead.
The Falcons snapped the 16-run scoring streak for the Rattlers with three runs in the top of the seventh on three hits for the 16-7 score.
Bustamante was hit to lead off the Rattlers half of the seventh and freshman
CJ Ricondo (San Antonio) was put in to pinch run. Hernandez narrowly missed his second home run of the game, blasting a double off the right centerfield fence. Goins was hit to load the bases and McGowen walked to plate Ricondo and give the Rattlers the 17-7 victory.
St. Mary's hits the road next weekend for a three-game series at Texas-Tyler. The teams will play a single game on Friday at 7 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.
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