Good Pitching and Timely Hitting Lead Baseball to Victory

SAN ANTONIO — Good pitching and timely hitting are two things every baseball coach dreams of and that's exactly what St. Mary's University new Baseball Coach Frank Kellner got in a 6-4 victory over UT Tyler on Saturday afternoon.
 
Starting pitcher Kaleb Gauna, a sophomore from Hondo, Texas, pitched 4 1/3 innings before allowing a hit, even returning from a 42-minute lightning delay, in a no decision. Gauna gave up one run on one hit, walking four and striking out three. He also got tremendous help from his defense as they turned a pair of double plays behind him. 
 
Senior Brett Brown (Sinton, Texas) pitched 2 2/3 of scoreless baseball in relief to earn the victory and senior Andrew Girod (San Antonio) earned his first save after allowing one run on two hits in the ninth inning.
 
Both sophomore Garrett Brooks (Spring Branch, Texas) and senior Easton Parrish (La Vernia, Texas) posted three-hit days, while junior transfer Luis Aguilar (Alice, Texas) was 2-for-3 after entering as a pinch runner in the first inning and taking over at second base. Senior Jacob Elizondo (San Antonio) led the team with two RBI despite going hitless in the game. He drove in one on a fielder's choice and hit a sacrifice fly.
 
The Rattlers (3-4) scored their six runs on 12 hits with one UT Tyler (3-4) error, while the Patriots scored four runs on five hits. The Patriots used four pitchers and Nate Campbell took the loss for his first decision in 2024. He allowed four runs on five hits in two innings and was on the hill when the lightning delay began. 
 
The two teams conclude the four-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m.