Cold Weather Doesn't Slow Down Baseball

OKLAHOMA CITY – Playing in the cold weather is always a little easier when you win and the St. Mary's Baseball team won both games of a doubleheader on Saturday at Oklahoma Christian, winning 4-2 and 6-5 to stretch the winning streak to five-straight.
 
Five Rattlers (8-7, 7-7 Lone Star Conference) recorded hits in both games as the team notched 16 throughout the 16 innings of play. The two teams will return to the diamond tomorrow for another doubleheader (7 innings game one, 9 game two), however the weather should be around 15 degrees warmer, hitting the mid-50s by game time.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
As he's done most of the season, junior Clay Bradford (Atascocita, Texas) helped her own cause, driving in two runs with his fourth home run of the year. On the hill, the junior pitched the complete game to improve to 2-1. He allowed two runs on six hits, walking one and striking out three.
 
Both seniors Jake Mares (Fort Worth, Texas) and Rudy Solis (El Paso, Texas) had two hits and one RBI each as the Rattlers scattered four runs on eight hits.
 
Mares started things off in the first with a single to shortstop, moved to second on a groundout by Bradford and scored on a single to left by Solis. The Eagles immediately tied the game 1-1 in their half of the inning.
 
In the second, junior Devin Goins (San Antonio) singled to right, was sacrificed to second by Trey Guajardo (San Juan, Texas) and scored on a single to center by Mares.
 
OC again tied the score, doing so with one run in the fourth, but once again the Rattlers offense immediately answered. Freshman Jacob King (San Antonio) singled to right was bunted to second by Mares and scored on the home run by Bradford for the 4-2 final score.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
Junior Andrew Girod (San Antonio) continued to pitch well this season, improving to 2-1 after working the final 3.2 innings of the nightcap. Senior John Curtis (Athens, Tenn.) started for the Rattlers, pitching 5.1 frames with four runs on eight hits, one walk and five strikeouts. Girod only allowed one hit, walked two and fanned seven – including five of the last eight batters he faced.
 
In the top of the second with one out, Goins and sophomore Tyler Pauly (Fisher, Texas) drew back-to-back walks and King followed with a double to left center for the first run of the game. Mares grounded out to his counterpart at short, but Pauly scored. Bradford singled to left to give the Rattlers a 3-0 advantage.
 
The Eagles got one run back in the second on three hits. Goins singled up the middle to lead off the fourth and Pauly walked for the second time. King reached on a fielding error by the pitcher to load the bases. With one out, Bradford drove in a pair of runs on a single to left center. Bradford and King pulled off the double steal but the pair were stranded with the scoreboard reading 5-1.
 
Oklahoma Christian plated two in the third to cut the Rattlers lead in half, 5-3 and tied the game with two runs in the sixth.
 
Mares singled to left center to lead off the ninth, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt that Bradford almost beat out and scored on a single back up the middle off the bat of Solis for the winning run.
 
Girod walked the leadoff batter in the ninth and the Eagles inserted a pinch runner, but Goins nailed him at second attempting to steal for the first out. Girod struck out the next two to complete the Saturday sweep for the Gold & Blue.
 
Bradford was 3-for-4 with three RBI in the game, while King was 2-for-4 and both Goins and Pauly scored twice.