Day Two of Baseball Battle of the Saints Goes Rattlers Way

AUSTIN, Texas – The St. Mary's University Baseball team did a great job of timely hitting in both games of the doubleheader at St. Edward's on Saturday, sweeping the day with 8-5 and 11-7 wins.
 
The Rattlers (16-21) have worked at least a split in the four-game series with the Hilltoppers (17-19), ensuring the yearly Battle of the Saints battle goes to St. Mary's for 2023-24. StMU entered the week leading 3.5-2.5 over the other six sports the two schools have in common. Each team is rewarded 1 point for the series win and 0.5 points for a split.
 
The baseball clubs conclude the series on Sunday in Austin. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Lucian Hamilton Field.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
Seven of the 13 runs in the game came in the first inning as the Rattlers plated four and the Hilltoppers three. St. Mary's added one run each in the second, third, sixth and seventh innings, while SEU scored one in the second and fifth for the 8-5 victory.
 
Freshman Braeden Brown (Sinton, Texas) won his first collegiate contest, improving to 1-2 on the year. He gave up five runs on four hits with two walks and a career-best four strikeouts. Senior Andrew Girod (San Antonio) earned his fourth save, allowing two hits with two walks and a strikeout over the final two innings.
 
Senior Trey Guajardo (San Juan, Texas) had the lone multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Senior Easton Parrish (La Vernia, Texas) also drove in a pair.
 
Jacob Elizondo (San Antonio) walked to begin the game, stole second and moved to third on a groundout by RJ Galvan (Alice, Texas). Parrish hit a home run to left field for a 2-0 lead. Devin Goins (San Antonio) drove the next pitch to left for a double and Rudy Solis (El Paso, Texas) found the gap in right-center on the first pitch he saw to switch places with Goins. An error by the first baseman on a play off the bat of Guajardo scored Solis for the 4-0 advantage. The Hilltoppers used two singles and two walks to pull within one, 4-3.
 
A walk to Hogan Heller (San Antonio) began the second inning. After a pitching change, Jorge Cuevas (El Paso) sacrificed himself to move Heller up 90 feet and Elizondo singled through the left side of the infield to put runners on the corners. Galvan walked to load the bases and a failed pickoff attempt at first allowed Heller to scamper home for the 5-3 score. SEU got the run back on a home run in the bottom of the frame.
 
With one out in the third, Solis walked and moved to third on a single off the fence in right-center by Guajardo. Heller grounded into a fielder's choice, where Guajardo was out at second, but Solis scored to have the scoreboard read 6-4.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, the 'Toppers again closed within one, but the Rattlers offense went right back to work. Heller walked but was erased on a fielder's choice off the bat of Cuevas. Elizondo walked and ball four was wild, allowing Cuevas to move to third. Another fielder's choice, this one off the bat of sophomore Garrett Brooks (Spring Branch, Texas) scored Cuevas for the 7-5 tally.
 
The Rattler's defense helped Girod out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth, and they went right back to work in the batter's boxes. With one out, Goins and Solis drew back-to-back walks and forced yet another pitching change. Guajardo singled up the middle to score Goins for the 8-5 final.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
Back-to-back four-run innings helped lift the Rattlers to a game two win, though the Hilltoppers made a late push to lose by only four, 11-7.
 
Brooks, Galvan and Goins all had two hits, while Brooks walked three times, scored three times, and Goins collected four RBI.
 
Sophomore Kaleb Gauna (Hondo, Texas) won his third consecutive outing, pitching a gem. In five innings, he allowed only two runs on four hits, with five walks and four strikeouts.
 
With one out in the first, Brooks singled up the middle, moved to second on an infield single by Galvan and advanced to third when Parrish was hit by a pitch. Goins drove in a pair on a single to right for the 2-0 lead. Seniors Karlo Kalifa (Round Rock, Texas) and Brett Brown (Sinton) each pitched an inning in relief.
 
Parrish reached on an error to start the third. A second error allowed Goins to reach first and Parrish hustled to third. Solis hit a long foul ball to right field that was caught, but heads-up base running by Parrish scored the third run. With two outs, Heller doubled to left-center, scoring Goins and Cuevas changed places with Heller after a double to left. Cuevas promptly stole third and scored on a single up the middle by Elizondo to stretch the lead to 6-0. After two walks, a double and a balk, the Hilltoppers scored their first run in the bottom of the frame.
 
Brooks walked to kick off the fourth inning and advanced to third on a double to left by Galvan. Parrish grounded out to second but added another RBI on the day and Goins blasted a no-doubter where the outfielders never even turned around, forcing a pitching change. With two outs, Guajardo singled up the middle and scampered to second on a wild pitch. Heller singled to left and was caught in a rundown trying to make second, but Guajardo scored before the out was recorded for the 10-1 advantage.
 
With two outs in the fifth, Brooks and Galvan both walked, forcing another pitching change. Parrish singled between short and third to plate Brooks and extend the lead to 10, 11-1.
 
The Hilltoppers scored one in the bottom of the fifth, four in the sixth and one in the seventh for the 11-7 final score.