Baseball Comes From Behind In Series Finale at UTPB

ODESSA, Texas – For the first time in the season series against UT Permian Basin, the St. Mary's Baseball team was able to shut down the Falcon offense in the final inning, pulling off the 11-10 win in come-from-behind fashion for the series split.
 
The Rattlers (18-24, 16-24 Lone Star Conference) trailed 10-6 headed into the ninth inning and were able to plate five runs on five hits with three walks and a sacrifice fly and senior Connor Schmidt (Devine, Texas) took revenge in the bottom of the frame, retiring the side in order after walking a pair on Friday night.
 
Schmidt improved to 2-4 on the season with the win. He pitched the final 2.2 innings, allowing one run on two hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Senior Adrian Gonzales (Pasadena, Texas) started on the hill, surrendering five runs on eight hits with one strikeout in six innings of work.
 
St. Mary's scored its 11 runs on 16 hits – the second-highest total of the season – and stranded 11 runners on base. The first six hitters in the batting order all recorded multi-hit games, as did freshman Tyler Pauly (Fisher, Texas) as he was 2-for-3 in the eighth spot with a team-high three RBIs and a pair of walks. Sophomore Jacob Elizondo (San Antonio) was 3-for-6 to lead the game in hits and junior Rudy Solis (El Paso, Texas) scored a game-high three runs.
 
Senior Ryan McGowen (San Antonio) was extremely busy in the outfield, recording a career-high nine putouts as 18 of the Falcons outs were recorded in the air. 
 
UTPB took the early lead with two runs in the first inning via the home run. The score remained 2-0 until the fifth when the Rattlers plated one. They took a short-lived 3-2 lead in the sixth, but the Falcons answered with two in their half. StMU scored three in the seventh, UTPB responded with five and added one in the eighth before the Rattlers scored five in the ninth for the win.
 
The Rattlers had at least one base runner in each of the first four innings before scoring in the fifth. With two outs, Elizondo doubled and junior Clay Bradford (Atoscocita, Texas) hit a sharp ground ball straight up the first base line for a double and Elizondo scored.
 
After Gonzales retired the side in order in the fifth, the Rattler offense got right back to work. Solis singled to center and sophomore Devin Goins (San Antonio) singled to second. Pauly singled to left center to score Solis. Sophomore Trey Guajardo (San Juan, Texas) sacrificed everyone up 90 feet and senior Jake Mares (Fort Worth, Texas) hit into a fielder's choice that erased Pauly off the basepaths but scored Goins for the 3-2 advantage.
 
The Falcons scored two off two hits and a sacrifice fly in the sixth to regain the lead, 4-3.
 
With one out in the seventh, junior Brandon Broughton (Corpus Christi) doubled to left and McGowen tripled to right. Solis was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a wild pitch and both scored on a single back up the middle by Pauly for the 6-4 score.
 
UTPB scored five runs on three hits with two walks and a hit batter in the seventh and a single, two wild pitches and a sacrifice fly added one more in the eighth for the 10-6 tally.
 
Bradford and Broughton both singled to right field to begin things in the ninth for the Rattlers. With one out, Solis singled to load the bases. Senior Brian Juarez (Corpus Christi), pinch hitting, drove a sacrifice fly to centerfield and Pauly walked. A wild pitch scored the second run and sophomore Ty Luper (League City, Texas) drew a walk after pinch hitting. Mares singled to short, beating out the throw and a single to center by Elizondo scored two more for the 11-10 final.
 
St. Mary's hosts its final series of the regular season beginning on Friday, April 22 at 6 p.m. The game against UT Tyler will be a celebration of the 2001 National Championship team as well as a retirement celebration for long-time coach Charlie Migl. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. will be Senior Day, with festivities coming before first pitch.