OKLAHOMA CITY – All three aspects of the game were on point for the St. Mary's Baseball team on Friday evening as they took the 1-0 lead in the Lone Star Conference Quarterfinals with a 16-3 win over Oklahoma Christian.
Senior
Dylan Bells (Regina, Saskatchewan) pitched a gem in the team's first-ever Lone Star Tournament game. He pitched eight innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, walking three and striking out seven. He improved to 7-1 in 2021 and put the Rattlers (23-18) in a good spot to advance.
St. Mary's scored 16 runs on 12 hits with one error, while holding the Eagles (24-15) to three runs on seven hits and they committed two errors. The 16 runs for the Rattlers are tied for the fourth-highest total and the third time against the Eagles in four games they've scored 16 or more this year.
Junior catcher
Brian Juarez (Corpus Christi, Texas) hit his first home run of the season – a three-run shot to left centerfield, becoming the eighth different Rattler to homer in 2021. He ended the night 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. Senior second baseman
Johnny Hernandez (El Paso, Texas) had the hot hand at the plate, going 4-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored. Senior third baseman
Mitchell Caskey (Houston) also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-6 with three RBI and sophomore
Brandon Broughton (Corpus Christi) added three RBI.
All nine starters reached base at least once, and senior
Derek Mueller's triple with two outs in the second inning extended his reached base streak to 33 consecutive games. It was also surprisingly the first three-bagger of Mueller's StMU career. Eight of the nine in the starting lineup also scored at least once.
In the second inning, Broughton walked and moved to second on a groundout by Caskey. Hernandez singled past the shortstop for the first run of the game. Sophomore
Mauro Bustamante (Helotes, Texas) walked to put runners at first and second and Juarez blasted a homer to left center for the 4-0 advantage.
In the top of the fifth, junior
Jake Mares (Fort Worth, Texas) led off with a single through the left side and senior
Fernando Zubia (El Paso) followed with a walk. Broughton hit a nub shot back towards the mound and it was mishandled, loading the bases and knocking the starting pitcher out of the game. Caskey hit a hot shot to short that ricocheted into center to plate two and left runners on the corners. Hernandez laid down the perfect bunt down the first base line for a single to score Broughton for the 7-0 lead.
Caskey drove a single up the middle to lead off the seventh and Hernandez doubled off the wall in right center to score Caskey. With one out, Juarez traded places with Hernandez after doubling to right center. With two outs, senior
Derek Mueller (Carrolton, Texas) and Mares drew back-to-back walks to load the bags. Zubia was hit by a pitch for the second-straight at bat and Broughton smashed a triple off the top of the centerfield fence to clear the bases and lift the Rattlers to a 13-0 edge.
Oklahoma Christian got two runs back on a homer over the left field fence in the bottom of the seventh.
Hernandez was hit by a pitch on the first pitch of the eighth and with two outs, junior
Ryan McGowen (San Antonio) doubled to the wall in left centerfield to score Hernandez for the 14-2 score.
After the Eagles scored one in the eighth, Mares and Zubia drew back-to-back walks to begin the ninth. A wild pitch allowed both to move up a base and they both scored on a bloop single to center by Caskey for the 16-3 final.
The two teams meet tomorrow at 1 p.m. and will play a third game if needed approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest.
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