KINGSVILLE, TEXAS – Texas A&M-Kingsville’s senior right-handed pitcher Jaden Dillon (Bridge City/Bridge City HS) shut down the fourth-ranked baseball team in the nation on Friday night in a 4-1 victory over visiting Lone Star Conference rival Angelo State at Nolan Ryan Field.

Dillon pitched seven strong inning for the Javelinas (11-3, 1-0) as they opened up the conference schedule with an impressive win. He scattered three hits and three walks while striking out six. The only run scored against him came due to a passed ball on a third strike that should have been the third out of the inning. He has not allowed an earned run since the opening game of the season, a span of 28.2 innings. He improved to 4-0 on the season and gave the team their second victory over a top 10 team in the last four days.

The Rams (16-5, 0-1) entered the game with the best earned run average in the Lone Star Conference at 2.60 and it figured to be a pitcher’s duel. They sent their top starter in Jake Feckley to the mound.

The Javs scored first in the bottom of the second inning. After two outs were recorded, James Wallace (Corpus Christi/Tuloso-Midway HS), Taylor Taska (Kingwood/Kingwood HS) and Julian Duran (San Antonio/Madison HS) all singled with Duran’s hit bringing in Wallace.

In the third inning the Javs once again put together a two-out rally. Cameron Dullnig (San Antonio/Clark HS) and Jake Mendiola (Kingsville/Richland Northeast HS) hit back-to-back doubles to make it 2-0.

Taska gave the team a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when he cracked a solo home run. It was his second home run in as many games. Taska drove in the final run of the game on a sixth inning sacrifice fly.

Jeremy Flores (Victoria/Memorial HS) pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Dullnig closed out the game by striking out the side in the ninth for his third save of the season.

Feckley took the loss after allowing nine hits, three earned runs and a walk in 7.0 innings to fall to 3-1 on the year.

The teams will meet again on Saturday for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. and then a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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