Baseball Splits Saturday With Dustdevils

SAN ANTONIO – An error proved costly in game one of the day but a superb pitching performance in game two earned the St. Mary's Baseball team a split against Texas A&M International.
 
The Dustdevils (14-19, 13-18 Lone Star) won the first contest 6-4 and the Rattlers (13-15, 12-15 Lone Star) snapped back to win 1-0 in the nightcap.
 
The teams conclude the four-game series on Sunday with first pitch at 1 p.m. The Rattlers are looking for their first series win since the opening series of 2023 when they took 3-of-4 from UT Permian Basin.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
Senior Clay Bradford (Atascocita, Texas) was on base three times, going 2-for-3 and reaching via a hit by pitch, doing everything he could to help his own cause on the hill, but he fell to 3-3 after allowing three runs on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts in five innings of work. 
 
Freshman Kaleb Gauna (Hondo, Texas) surrendered three unearned runs on two hits with two strikeouts in the last two innings, making the hill a bit too steep for the Rattlers to mount the comeback in a 6-4 loss.
 
The Dustdevils struck first with one run on two hits and an StMU error for a 1-0 edge.
 
Senior Jake Mares (Fort Worth, Texas) doubled to the 400-foot marker in centerfield and was bunted over to third on a sacrifice by freshman Jacob King (San Antonio). Bradford was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. Easton Parrish (La Vernia, Texas) laid down a successful safety squeeze down the first base line to knot the score at 1-1. 
 
TAMIU regained the lead with one run in the top of the second, but Bradford struck out the last two hitters with the bases loaded to limit the damage.
 
Devin Goins (San Antonio) walked on five pitches to begin the Rattlers half of the frame and moved to second on an infield groundout by Goins. Ryan Romine (San Antonio) walked and Ryan McGowen (San Antonio) singled to shallow left center to plate the tying run.
 
The picket fence continued with one run in the top of the third for the Dustdevils on two hits for the 3-2 score.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, McGowen was hit by the first pitch of the inning – getting plunked for the 49th time in his career – but he was erased on a double play by TAMIU.
 
TAMIU plated three unearned runs in the top of the sixth inning to increase their lead to 6-2.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Bradford hit a laser to first base for his second hit of the day. With one out, Rudy Solis (El Paso, Texas) walked and Bradford moved to third on a flyout by Goins. A balk call scored Bradford to cut the deficit to 6-3.
 
McGowen reached via an error with one out in the seventh and scored on a double to right center by senior Brandon Broughton (Corpus Christi, Texas), who was pinch hitting, for the 6-4 final.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
Senior John Curtis (Athens, Tenn.) shut down the Dustdevils offense in game two, allowing only two hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out three, then handed the ball over to Andrew Girod (San Antonio), who picked up his fourth consecutive save. Girod allowed one hit and struck out one in the seventh.
 
The Rattlers scored one run on eight hits, leaving nine runners on base in the pitcher's duel between Curtis and Jan Cabrera (4-2).
 
Broughton drew his second straight walk to lead off the sixth inning and Jorge Cuevas (El Paso) came into run. Parrish singled through the right side and Solis was hit on the arm to load the bases. Goins hit into a fielder's choice where the second baseman threw home in time to get Cuevas. Jake Elizondo (San Antonio) singled through the gap on the left side of the infield to score the only run of the game.