CANYON, Texas — In a back-and-forth affair on Sunday afternoon, the St. Mary's University Baseball team scored the final run in the ninth inning, defeating No. 25 West Texas A&M 7-6 to win the series, 3-1.
As it has been all weekend, the game was a true team effort, as all nine spots in the batting order recorded at least one hit, while senior
Easton Parrish (La Vernia, Texas) was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, drawing two walks. Both sophomore
Dillon Lopez (San Antonio) and senior
Jacob King (San Antonio) added two hits each as the Rattlers (21-13, 19-13) scored seven runs on 12 hits and were aided by two Buffaloes (24-10, 22-10) errors.
Lopez and senior
Hogan Heller (San Antonio) each scored twice, and the Rattlers stole a season-high five bases, with Parrish swiping a pair.
Junior
Hagen Rose (Troy, Texas) pitched four innings in a no decision. He surrendered five runs on three hits, walking four and striking out one. Sophomore
Matthew Janecek (Houston) was on the hill for the next three innings, allowing only one run on four hits with a strikeout and a walk. Junior
Matt Sandoval (Uvalde, Texas) picked up his first win of the year (1-0) in working a spotless eighth inning, and sophomore
Brandon Vasquez (Round Rock, Texas) did the same in the ninth for his first collegiate save.
West Texas A&M took the initial lead, scoring one run in the first and second innings before the Rattlers exploded for five runs in the third frame. The club had four hits and stolen bases by both
Tristan Moreno (Seguin, Texas) and
Jacob Elizondo (San Antonio) to take the 5-2 lead.
The Rattlers added a run in the fifth and the Buffs answered with three for the 6-5 tally. WT knotted the score in the bottom of the seventh. In the ninth, Lopez singled to the pitcher to lead off. With one out, King singled to left and he was erased on a fielder's choice off the bat of Heller to place runners on the corners with two outs. The Buffs went to the bullpen, bringing in their closer, and he threw a wild pitch, allowing Lopez to scamper home from third for the winning run.
The last five victories for the Rattlers are all over nationally-ranked teams, with three this week against the Buffs and two last week against then-#15 St. Edward's. StMU has also split or won each of its last four series and seven of its eight in 2025.
The Rattlers host Eastern New Mexico for a four-game series beginning on Friday, April 4 at 6 p.m. The Greyhounds won a series against Oklahoma Christian and are 21-12 on the year, as the result of the final game was not available at the time of this release.
