SAN ANTONIO — In one of the crazier stat lines one will ever read, the St. Mary's University Baseball team won the second game of a three-game series over Oklahoma Christian 11-10 while getting only four hits.
The Rattlers (5-0) drew 16 walks, the third-highest total in a single game in school history, and two of their hits were bunt singles in the come-from-behind victory.
The Eagles (1-4) took a 5-0 lead through five innings before StMU scored three runs on no hits with four walks, an error, a balk, a wild pitch and a hit batter for the 5-3 tally. OC stretched the lead with one run in the sixth and three in the seventh for the 9-3 score.
The first hit for the Gold & Blue came in the seventh inning, when senior
Jacob King (San Antonio) singled between the shortstop and third base to score senior
Garrett Brooks (Spring Branch, Texas), who reached via one of his four walks on the day. The team batted around in both the seventh and eighth innings, combining for eight runs in the two frames on four hits.
One of the hits in the eighth was a fantastic push bunt into no man's land between the pitching mound and third base by sophomore
Ryan Alaniz (San Antonio), which loaded the bases after Brooks singled and King deadened a bunt in front of the plate for a single.
The Eagles made a push in the ninth inning with three consecutive one-out walks to load the bases. Trey Migl singled to centerfield to plate Grant Voss, but King made a spectacular throw home, and
Ethan Hughes (League City, Texas) applied the tag to pinch runner Jaret Liebbe. Senior
Edward Mendoza (Eagle Pass, Texas) then struck out the final batter for his first save of the year.
Senior
Kaleb Gauna (Hondo, Texas) started on the hill for the Rattlers, working a no decision. In four innings, he allowed five runs on nine hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Junior
Matthew Janecek (Houston) pitched the next 2 1/3 innings, surrendering four runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Sophomore
Derek Maples (San Antonio) was credited with the win, as he threw the next two innings without giving up a hit. He allowed one run with two walks, and Mendoza retired two of the three batters he faced for his first save at St. Mary's.
Oklahoma Christian used five pitchers on the afternoon, with Evan Ballast getting hung for the loss. All nine hitters in the starting lineup for the Eagles recorded at least one hit, led by Hunter Sandifer with a 3-for-4 day at the plate.
On the flip side, all nine spots in the Rattlers' batting order walked at least once, while Brooks was on base all five times with four base on balls and one single.
The two teams conclude the season series on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
