SAN ANTONIO — The No. 15 St. Mary's University Baseball team ended the season on a high note, defeating No. 8 UT Tyler 5-4 on Senior Day.
Senior
Kaleb Gauna (Hondo, Texas) came out of the bullpen in the first inning and had his best outing of the season, allowing only one run on six hits with a season-best seven strikeouts to give his offense time to mount the comeback.
Brandon Vasquez (Round Rock, Texas) threw two innings of shutout baseball, fanning three, while
Edward Mendoza (Eagle Pass, Texas) struck out two of the three batters he faced for his seventh save of the year.
The Patriots (40-10) took a 4-0 lead, scoring three runs in the first inning and one in the second, but were shut out over the final seven frames. The Rattlers (36-14) scored three runs in the second to close within one and took a 5-4 lead with a pair of runs in the fifth for their 36th victory of the year.
Junior
Dillon Lopez (San Antonio) had the hot bat for the Rattlers, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, and he swiped second base, while senior
Matt Gauna (San Antonio) was 1-for-2 with three RBI and a sacrifice fly. Sophomore
Ryan Alaniz (San Antonio) added two hits, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
The two teams each had eight hits on the day, as the Rattlers tied or had more hits in three of the four games in the series. Both teams also played errorless baseball, and had several strong defensive plays, showcasing their talent on the final day of the regular season.
UT Tyler will host the second week of the Lone Star Conference Tournament, receiving the league's bye in the first week, while the Rattlers will be seeded third and host West Texas A&M for a best-of-three series beginning on Friday. Game times will be announced early in the week.
