SAN ANGELO, Texas – In the first game of the Lone Star Conference Tournament, the St. Mary's Baseball team fell to top-seeded Angelo State 15-5 on Friday evening.
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The Rattlers (23-28) made a push in the ninth inning, scoring three runs, but it wasn't enough as the sixth-ranked Rams (41-10) scored 15 runs on 17 hits in the first seven frames.Â
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Senior
Brian Juarez (Corpus Christi, Texas) was 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs, while the top three spots in the batting order in
Jake Mares (Forth Worth, Texas), Jake Elizondo (San Antonio) and
Clay Bradford (Atoscocita, Texas) each had two hits.
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Senior
Steven Medrano (El Paso, Texas) dropped to 4-5 on the season. He allowed seven runs on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings.
Andrew Girod (San Antonio),
Nick Swanson (Kennesaw, Ga.) and
Karlo Kalifa (Round Rock, Texas) all worked in relief.
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The first run of the game for the Rattlers was a solo home run by
Trey Guajardo (San Juan, Texas). It was the sophomore's second home run of the season and first since March 4 at Texas A&M International.
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Mares reached base to begin the game for the fifth-straight contest and his double in the ninth gave him his 22nd multi-hit game of the year. Bradford and Elizondo each had their 19th multi-hit game in 2022.
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The two teams return to the diamond at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The game is a must-win for the Rattlers to stay alive in the Lone Star Tournament. An Angelo State win would mean they host the second weekend of the Championship – a double elimination for the final four teams.
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