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STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Baseball) – There is no sugarcoating it. Javelina pitcher and reigning Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week recipient Ryan Benitez is downright dominating his senior campaign and the Texas A&M University-Kingsville (19-9, 13-3 LSC) pitching rotation is evolving into one of the deepest in the nation with its fifth shutout over a Lone Star Conference opponent as the No. 23/t-24 Hogs defeated Tarleton State University (9-13, 3-9 LSC), 2-0, on Friday afternoon at Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex.
 
Benitez went 7.0 shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing just four hits. The senior right-hander has not given up a run since the Eastern New Mexico University series. Benitez is now 5-1 on the year with a 2.28 ERA and 57 strikeouts to only six base on balls. His last walk came in the eighth inning of the series opener at Cameron (March 7). 'Fuzzy' has recorded five or more punch outs in seven of his eight starts and registered his fourth consecutive quality start (three or less runs in 6.0 or more innings).
 
Earning his sixth save of the season was Ryan Scott, who after struggling early on this season, has now thrown 10.0 consecutive scoreless innings out of the 'pen. Scott now has 20 career saves in a Javelina uniform, just four shy of tying Jeremy Flores for the all-time saves mark in school history. Matt Herrick (2-3) was charged with the loss despite his five strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Both runs that came across to score were unearned.
 
The Javelinas struck early and did not look back after the top of the order began the third with back-to-back singles. An error allowed Ryan Fickel to cross the plate for the game's first run and Zach Smith added TAMUK's second run of the inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Cline Andrews. That was more an enough for Benitez and he continued to stifle Texan hitters all afternoon in a win that was clinched by Scott's save.
 
Fickel went 2-for-5 from the leadoff spot and Clint Wallace continued to quietly put together one of the best seasons of any catcher in NCAA Division II with a 2-for-4 performance at the dish.
 
Notes: Friday's shutout win marks the third consecutive shutout performance on the road against a conference opponent… Ryan Scott is just four saves away from tying Jeremy Flores for the all-time saves mark in Javelina history… Scott has extended his scoreless streak to 10.0 innings and Benitez has now thrown 14.0 consecutive innings without allowing a run… Clint Wallace has extended his hitting streak to five games and Ryan Fickel now has nine multi-hit games.
 
Games two and three are scheduled for tomorrow and will begin at 1 p.m. Live stats will be available and can be accessed by visiting JavelinaAthletics.com, the official home of Texas A&M-Kingsville athletics.
 
For full coverage of Kingsville baseball, please follow @TAMUKBaseball14 on Twitter and @JavelinaAthletics on Instagram, like our Facebook page (Javelina Nation) and subscribe to the JavelinaAthletics YouTube channel.