SAN ANTONIO — Battling high winds, the No. 17 St. Mary's University Baseball team stretched its winning streak to a season-best eight games with a 7-5 victory against UT Permian Basin on Friday afternoon.
The Rattlers improve to 33-10 on the year, while the Falcons move to 12-31. The eight-game winning streak is the longest since the 2019 team won eight in a row in March en route to a 30-20 season record.
Senior
Joel Burgess (Atascocita, Texas) picked up his fifth win of the season, pitching four innings in relief, and only giving up one hit from the fifth through the eighth innings. He struck out three and walked one. Fellow senior
Edward Mendoza (Eagle Pass, Texas) earned his sixth save with one strikeout in the ninth frame.
Mendoza's six saves move him into sole possession of seventh place on the St. Mary's single-season saves chart.
Junior
Brandon Vasquez (Round Rock, Texas) started on the hill for the Rattlers, pitching 3 1/3 innings in a no-decision. He gave up four earned runs on eight hits with one walk and one strikeout, and junior
Braeden Brown (Sinton, Texas) pitched the remainder of the fourth inning, giving up one hit.
Ashton Beaird (San Antonio) and
Ryan Alaniz (San Antonio) both were 3-for-4 at the plate, with Beaird scoring three of the team's seven runs, and freshman
Blake Allen (Bulverde, Texas) drove in the winning runs with his single through the left side of the infield in the eighth inning.
The Rattlers took advantage of miscues right away, as both Allen and Beaird reached on throwing errors to start the game, and both scored. Allen scored on the throwing error off Beaird's bunt down the third-base line, while Beaird scored on a groundout to second off the bat of
Garrett Brooks (Spring Branch, Texas).
Beaird and Brooks hit back-to-back doubles down the left field line to add a run for the Rattlers in the third and have the scoreboard read 3-0. The Falcons scored an unearned run in the third and plated four on six hits and an error in the fourth to take a 5-3 advantage.
The Rattlers tied the game at 5-5 with two runs in the top of the seventh. With one out, Beaird doubled down the left field line, and Brooks walked. Both scored on a double down the right field line by Alaniz.
Like they've done all season, they got a late rally going. Both
Rob Gonzalez (San Antonio) and
Matt Gauna (San Antonio) walked to start the eighth frame.
Matt Mendez (Natalia, Texas) laid down a fantastic bunt down the third base line for a single to load the bases, and Allen took the first pitch he saw and drove it into left field to score two.
With the Falcons threatening in the bottom of the eighth and a runner on first, Beaird made a terrific diving catch in foul territory down the first base line to record the third out and keep the score at 7-5.
In the bottom of the ninth with two outs, Mendez applied a tag on a ball thrown in by
Jacob King (San Antonio) from centerfield, and Daylon Jefcoats was originally ruled safe. Head Coach
Frank Kellner challenged the call, and upon review, he was out, ending the game, and moving the Rattlers to 33-10 on the season. It is the sixth outfield assist of the year for King.
The two teams continue the four-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon. The series will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m.
