AUSTIN, Texas — Often in a rivalry game, strange things can happen, and with the postseason on the line for both teams that was definitely the case on Saturday at Lucian Hamilton Field as the St. Mary's University Baseball team came back for a 13-12 win over St. Edward's in a game that lasted over four hours.
The 25 runs were scored on 25 hits with five errors committed by the two teams. A total of 23 runners were left on base, there were two home runs – one by each team, the only double play was the final play of the contest, and the nine pitchers combined to strike out 17 hitters.
The Rattlers (29-23) scored 10 runs in the final three innings, while the Hilltoppers (33-19) scored eight of their 12 runs from the third through the fifth frames.
Sophomore
Dillon Lopez reached base in five of his six plate appearances, tying the St. Mary's single-game record with four walks. He is the 12th player in school history to get walked four times in a game, and the first since Clay Bradford at Eastern New Mexico on April 3, 2022. Lopez also reached on a triple to left in the seventh.
Senior
Hogan Heller (San Antonio) and junior
Raithen Malone (Mont Belvieu, Texas) both collected two hits, while four different Rattlers each had two RBIs, and Lopez and senior
Garrett Brooks (Spring Branch, Texas) each scored three times.
Senior
Carlos Flores Jr. (San Antonio) improved to 4-2 with the win. He pitched the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing one run on one hit with three walks and three strikeouts. Junior
Kaleb Gauna (Hondo, Texas) started on the hill. He surrendered three earned runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Cameron Hodges (San Antonio),
Gabe Cook (San Antonio) and
Brett Brown (Sinton, Texas) all were sandwiched between Gauna and Flores.
The slider was working early for Gauna as he struck out the side in the bottom of the first, giving up a single with one out to Connor Cox, but stranding him at first.
With two outs in the second inning, Lopez and Brooks both walked. A throwing error on a backpick to second base by the catcher allowed both to move up 90 feet. The umpires had a collective visit behind the mound and eventually called a balk on Hilltoppers starter, George Hettrick, to score Lopez and put Brooks on third. He scored several pitches later on a wild pitch for the 2-0 lead without a hit. SEU tied the score with two runs on four hits in the bottom of the frame.
The Hilltoppers exploded for four runs in the fourth and each team scored in the fifth for the 8-3 tally.
The score remained 8-3 until the seventh. Lopez blasted a shot to left center, getting to third base on a triple, and he scored on a home run by Brooks. Senior
Easton Parrish (La Vernia, Texas) walked but was erased on a fielder's choice off the bat of
Matt Gauna (San Antonio). Senior
Jacob King (San Antonio) doubled to center and the ball was misplayed, allowing M. Gauna to score for the 8-6 score. Once again, the Hilltoppers had an immediate response, answering with three runs in the seventh on two hits and an error to push the lead to five, 11-6.
With one out in the eighth, senior
Jacob Elizondo (San Antonio) singled to the gap in left center. Lopez and Brooks drew back-to-back walks for the second time on the day, loading the bases. With two outs, Heller drove a ball to left center to score two. A wild pitch put Rattlers on second and third, and Gauna walked to load them again. King was hit by a pitch to score one, and senior
Trey Guajardo (San Juan, Texas) sliced a ball down the right field line in a pinch-hitting appearance to score a pair and tie the game at 11-11. A check-swing single off the end of the bat by Malone to shallow right center gave the Rattlers a 12-11 advantage. The 'Toppers tied the score with one run in the eighth.
In the ninth with two outs, Parrish, Heller and Gauna all singled to regain the lead, 13-12. Flores Jr. gave up a walk with one out but got Diego Solis to ground into a double play to end the threat and give the Rattlers new life in the series.
The two teams will play the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. Lubbock Christian swept West Texas A&M and the series between UT Tyler and Texas A&M Kingsville was pushed back due to inclement weather and game one will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
