AUSTIN, Texas — Two crooked innings helped lift the No. 18 St. Mary's University Baseball team to a 10-5 win in the first game of the Battle of the Saints series at St. Edward's Lucian Hamilton Field.
The Rattlers (20-7) scored one in the first inning, but the Hilltoppers (18-8) took the lead with four runs in the bottom of the second. StMU plated one in the third, three in the fourth and five in the seventh for their 10 runs. SEU scored one in the ninth but could not sustain a rally, dropping the opener 10-5.
St. Mary's scored its 10 runs on 13 hits, with multi-hit games from
Blake Allen (Bulverde, Texas),
Ashton Beaird (San Antonio),
Jacob King (San Antonio),
Matt Mendez (Natalia, Texas), and
Rob Gonzalez (San Antonio).
Senior
Joel Burgess (Atascocita, Texas) entered in the third frame for the Rattlers, pitching five scoreless innings, where he gave up only one hit, walked three and struck out six to improve to 4-0 on the year. It is the fourth time this season he has fanned five of more in a game. Junior
Brandon Vasquez (Round Rock, Texas) allowed four runs on three hits in two innings. Both
Braeden Brown (Sinton, Texas) and
Edward Mendoza (Eagle Pass, Texas) pitched an inning after Burgess.
Allen led off the game with a single through the left side of the infield and hustled to third on a single up the middle by Beaird. The Hilltoppers picked off Beaird at first, but heads-up base-running scored Allen for the 1-0 advantage.
After SEU scored four runs on three hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly, the Rattlers' offense got right back to work in the third. Mendez reached on a throwing error and moved to second on a wild pitch. A single to center by Gonzalez put runners on the corners, and Allen was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Beaird hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Mendez to cut the deficit in half, 4-2. Burgess retired the side in order in the bottom of the frame.
In the fourth, all three runs for the Rattlers came with two outs, as King started the two-out rally with a single between short and third, and hustled to second on a passed ball. Senior
Matt Gauna (San Antonio) walked, and Mendez doubled to left to score King. Gonzalez took the first pitch he saw to left to score two, force a pitching change and give the Rattlers a 5-4 lead.
The score remained 5-4 until the top of the seventh. Junior
Dillon Lopez (San Antonio) got the inning going with a solo home run to right field, his fifth of the year.
Garrett Brooks (Spring Branch, Texas) walked, King was hit by a pitch, and
Ethan Hughes (League City, Texas), who was pinch-hitting, walked to load the bases. Mendez reached on a fielder's choice, where Brooks was out at home, and the Hilltoppers again went to the bullpen. Gonzalez reached on a fielder's choice that scored King, and erased Mendez off the base paths. Allen doubled to right to score Hughes and Beaird singled to score a pair for the 10-4 lead.
A sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth scored the final run for the Hilltoppers for the 10-5 final.
The two teams return to the diamond at Noon on Saturday for a doubleheader and conclude the series on Sunday.
