Total Team Effort Lifts Baseball to Sunday Win for Series Split

CANYON, Texas – Eight of the nine hitters recorded at least one hit and seven of nine scored as the St. Mary's Baseball team earned a series split at West Texas A&M with a 9-5 win on getaway day.
 
Freshman Kaleb Gauna (Hondo, Texas) and junior Matt Bundy (Whitehorse, Texas) combined to allow four earned runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts against the Buffaloes (28-14, 26-14 Lone Star). Gauna threw the first 4.2 innings, while Bundy earned his third win of the year in pitching the final 4.1 frames.
 
Offensively, senior Brandon Broughton (Corpus Christi, Texas) blasted a triple and a home run to go 2-for-5 with two RBI. Fellow seniors Clay Bradford (Atascocita, Texas) and Ryan McGowen (San Antonio) joined him in two hit days, as did freshman Ryan Romine (San Antonio) and Bradford hit a double and a home run for two RBI.
 
The Rattlers (19-23, 17-23 Lone Star) jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but WT tied the score in the fifth. StMU immediately answered with a four-run sixth and held on for the 9-5 victory.
 
With one out in the second, Easton Parrish (La Vernia, Texas) was hit by a pitch. Jacob Elizondo (San Antonio) singled to right field with two outs. Romine followed with a single to right to score Parrish and McGowen took a ball to left field for another single and the 2-0 lead.
 
In the third with one out, Bradford blasted a shot over the 400 sign in right-center for the third run of the day.
 
The Buffs scored one run in the fourth after being retired in order in each of the first three innings.
 
The Rattlers offense answered in the fifth with their second home run in the game as Broughton cleared the right field fence. 
 
After WT scored three in the fifth to knot the score at 4-4, the offense went right back to work. Elizondo was hit by a pitch, Romine singled to right and the pair were advanced 90 feet each on a sacrifice bunt by McGowen up the third base line. After a pitching change, Mares singled down the right field line to score both. Freshman Jacob King (San Antonio) singled to shortstop and an error by the first baseman allowed Mares to get to third base. The second pitching change of the inning saw a double steal with King and Mares. Bradford doubled to the gap in right center to score King for the fourth run and the 8-4 advantage.
 
In the eighth, Bradford walked with two outs and scored on a triple to centerfield by Broughton. A solo home run in the ninth for WT made the final score read 9-5.
 
The Rattlers host Eastern New Mexico at three different venues next week. Friday night at 6 p.m. the teams will play at Nelson Wolff Stadium, while the Saturday doubleheader will be at Cardinal Field on the UIW campus. Sunday returns to Dickson Stadium for Senior Day at 1 p.m.