SAN ANTONIO — The St. Mary's University Baseball team hung four crooked innings on West Texas A&M on Sunday to win the series, 3-1, with a 13-8 final at Dickson Stadium.
The Rattlers scored three runs in the third, sixth and seventh innings, and four runs in the fourth to hold off the Buffaloes (22-12) and improve to 25-9 on the year.
Eight of the nine spots in the batting order recorded at least one hit and scored at least once, including junior
Dillon Lopez (San Antonio), who went 4-for-4 with a sacrifice bunt, three runs scored and an RBI. Senior
Garrett Brooks (Spring Branch, Texas) also scored three times after drawing two walks and doubling in the sixth.
StMU took advantage of seven WT errors, as both teams had 12 hits, but the Rattlers totaled five more runs, with only six of their 13 runs being earned, and they stole a season-high eight bags. Lopez and freshman
Blake Allen (Bulverde, Texas) each swiped two. The eight stolen bases are the third-highest total in school history, one off the record of nine by both the 1999 team against Concordia and the 2022 team against Cameron.
The Buffs scored two runs in the third, five in the fifth, and one in the ninth, but were unable to complete the comeback. Senior
Kaleb Gauna (Hondo, Texas) did a nice job of shutting down the WT offense, improving to 2-3 on the year. He pitched the final 4 1/3 innings, allowing only one run on three hits, with one walk and three strikeouts.
Gauna came in for junior
Eric Tenery (Kerrville, Texas), who allowed seven runs on nine hits with two walks and six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
It is the 13th time this season the Rattlers have scored 10 or more runs in a game, and StMU has won all 13.
Each of the three WT pitchers lasted 2 2/3 innings, with Shea Lake taking his first loss of the year (4-1) in working the middle third of the game.
The Rattlers head west to Eastern New Mexico next week for a series that will begin on Thursday due to Easter weekend. The Greyhounds had a five-game winning streak snapped by Oklahoma Christian on Sunday and are 13-21 on the season.
