VICTORIA, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team fell 8-7 to Houston-Victoria Wednesday afternoon at Riverside Stadium in 12 innings. The Jaguars scored twice in the final frame, scoring the game-winner on a walk-off fielder's choice.
Larren Artis and
Brayton Carlson led the Javelinas with three hits apiece while
Hayden Vesely drove in a team-high two runs.
Taking the loss was
Ryan Scott (1-1), tossing 0.2 innings with a strikeout and two runs allowed. Andrew Walker (4-1) picked up the win by getting the final out of the 12th.
Scoring began in the first for the Javelinas with a two RBI triple to left cent by Vesely.
Clint Wallace followed by fouling out to the first baseman, who was falling away from the field of play, thus allowing Vesely to tag from third to increase TAMUK's lead to 3-0.
Artis led off the second with a hard shot through the left side for a base knock. He then stole second and advanced to third on a fly out to center.
Ryan Fickel brought him home on a single back up the middle with two outs for the lone run of the frame.
The Jaguars tacked on a run in the next half inning on a two-out single back up the middle to cut TAMUK's advantage to 4-1.
In the bottom of the third, UHV received a two-run bomb courtesy of Joshua Boothe to make it a one-run game. They would tie the game at 4-4 in the next inning on Andrew Thibodeaux's double down the left field line.
A fifth run was tacked on in the fifth by the Jaguars to put them ahead went Dylan Blaha sent a 2-2 offering over the right field wall.
The Javelinas nearly put together a rally in the seventh when pinch hitter Ben Carlson led off by singling to the shortstop.
Zach Smith then drew a walk with two gone in the frame but both wound up stranded to end the frame.
Vesely began the next inning with a blast off the 405-foot centerfield fence for a double. He then advanced to third on a groundball to the second baseman. Artis then sent a blast to right center for a double and the game-tying RBI.
A pass ball combined with a bad throw by the catcher to the third baseman allowed Artis to score from second and put the Blue and Gold back on top, 6-5.
With a runner on first and no one out in the bottom half of the frame, Carlson made a leaping catch at the wall in right while falling hard against it. UHV, however, tallied back-to-back single to knot the score.
Wallace began the 10th by driving a 0-1 offering to right center for a double. The centerfielder chucked the ball towards third base and way off the line to allow Wallace to advance to third. An intentional walk to Artis put runners on the corners with one out.
The Jaguars' Steven Ellis responded by striking out the next two Javelinas to end the threat.
In the 11th, the Hogs were able to load the bases with two outs on three free passes sprinkled through the frame. Ellis was able to get a strikeout to get out of the jam.
Carlson beat out a weak grounder to the shortstop for an infield single with one gone. A fielder's choice got him out but put J.P. Phillips on first. Following a walk by
Mario Siller, Smith laced a pitch to the right center gap for a RBI single and 7-6 TAMUK lead.
UHV was able to string together two hits, including a triple to tie the game. They would then score the game-winner on a walk-off fielder's choice for the 8-7 win.
Next up for the Blue and Gold is a four-game series at Cameron this weekend. The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday and Sunday.
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