SAN ANTONIO — It's only fitting that the final game of the Lone Star Conference Tournament opening series between St. Mary's University and West Texas A&M University be a pitcher's duel, as it's been a strength of the Rattlers all season, and they once again rallied late for the 2-1 victory to advance to the league tournament's second week.
 
Junior Eric Tenery (Kerrville, Texas) pitched six solid innings in a no-decision. He gave up only one run on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts, with 54 of his 86 pitches being strikes. Junior Matthew Janecek (Houston) improved to 4-2 on the year after working the seventh and eighth innings. He fanned four, gave up two hits and hit a batter, and senior Edward Mendoza (Eagle Pass, Texas) earned his eighth save of the year with a scoreless ninth frame, striking out one and giving up a single.
 
The Buffaloes (29-24) wasted no time in breaking onto the scoreboard. Jonluke Hobdy took the first pitch of the game down the left field line for a single. He stole second, moved to third on a single by Jacob Police and scored on a Timothy Haynes single past the outstretched glove of the third baseman for the 1-0 lead.
 
The game remained 1-0 until the bottom of the eighth when the Rattlers (38-15) scored two runs, and it was once again junior Ethan Hughes (League City, Texas) who kicked off the rally. Hughes pinch hit for the third straight game and made it 3-for-3 in pinch hits in the series, singling to the gap in right center, and freshman Jimmy Mowles (Dallas) entered to pinch run. Junior Ashton Beaird (San Antonio) took the first pitch he saw into the gap in right center for a triple to knot the game at 1-1.
 
With two outs, sophomore Rob Gonzalez (San Antonio) was hit by a pitch, which went to a video review and was confirmed, and sophomore Ryan Alaniz (San Antonio) singled back up the middle to plate Beaird and give StMU the 2-1 edge.
 
Mendoza struck out the first batter he faced and forced a pop-up to second base. Tristan Thomas hit a rocket back up the middle that Beaird gloved and made an unnatural throw to first, which went into the dugout, setting up the Buffs with the tying run on second base, but a line drive off the bat of Anthony Picciano to Blake Allen (Bulverde, Texas) at shortstop ended the threat.
 
Both Beaird and Alaniz were 2-for-4 at the plate for the Rattlers, and each had an RBI, with Beaird scoring the winning run. Hughes had the only other hit for the Gold and Blue. Beaird and Alaniz, along with Allen, also turned two double plays on defense to keep the game within striking distance. 
 
St. Mary's faced second-seeded Angelo State at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, at Irwin Field on the UT Tyler campus in the first game of the double-elimination portion of the tournament. Host and top-seeded UT Tyler will take on fifth-seeded Lubbock Christian at 6 p.m.