KINGSVILLE, Texas (Baseball) – #RV Texas A&M University-Kingsville's (22-15, 16-8 LSC) pitching rotation continued to throw gems as
Ryan Benitez fired a complete game and
Matt Terrones went 6.0 inning to defeat Cameron University (15-21, 8-16 LSC), 4-1, in game one and 5-3 in game two on Friday at Nolan Ryan Field.
Clint Wallace tallied four RBI in the doubleheader sweep and the Javelinas clinched the regular season win over the Aggies, taking four of the series' first five games.
Game OneBenitez retired the top part of the Aggie order in the opening frame and
Ryan Fickel's leadoff infield single was all the Hogs needed as the second baseman came around to score after
Zach Smith's sacrifice bunt and Wallace's RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.
A leadoff single by
Larren Artis in the bottom of the fifth allowed the Javelinas to tack on another run. After a sacrifice and Fickel's single put runners at the corners, Smith's second bunt of the game worked to perfection, bringing in
Jimmy Roche, who pinch ran for Artis. A wild pitch moved runners into scoring position and Wallace and
Cline Andrews followed with an RBI ground out and RBI single, respectively, as the Hogs put up a three-spot in the inning to head into the sixth with a 4-0 lead.
CU scored its first run in the sixth to make it a three-run ballgame. Benitez went the distance for the second time this season, punching out four in 7.0 innings to improve to 6-2 on the year. Codey Upton (3-1) was tagged with his first loss of the season after allowing four runs in 5.0 innings.
Fickel went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Smith went w-for-2 with an RBI. Wallace drove in two and
Brayton Carlson swiped his eighth bag of the season.
Game TwoCameron struck first in the third inning but Texas A&M-Kingsville answered back with two runs to take a 2-1 lead on a two-run single by Wallace.
Wesley Aguilar and Fickel led off the bottom inning with a single and double down the left field line.
The Aggies regained a one-run edge after a two-run single but
Hayden Vesely hosed Cody Knight as he was trying to stretch it to a double. However, TAMUK returned the favor with a two-out run in the bottom to tie the game at 3-3. Vesely drove in Wallace on an opposite field single.
Three consecutive singles loaded the bases with one out and after an infield fly, Andrews' single up the middle gave the Javelinas a 4-3 lead. Vesely worked the count full and drew his league-high 27
th base on ball to add another run for Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Weston Silverberg entered the game in the seventh and shut the door for his second save of the season as Kingsville clinched the regular season series, taking four of the series' first five games. Terrones improved to 6-1 on the year after yet another quality start, going 6.0 innings. Dirk Masters (4-5) entered with a 2.49 earned run averaged but picked up the loss after giving up five runs in 5.2 innings.
Fickel and Aguilar each recorded two hits and two runs, Wallace went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Vesely drove in two and reached base safely three times. Every starter registered a base knock in game two.
The series concludes tomorrow with a doubleheader, scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at Nolan Ryan Field.
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