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KINGSVILLE, Texas (Baseball) – It wasn't easy but they continued to set the standard in the Lone Star Conference as Texas A&M University-Kingsville (29-21, 23-12 LSC) swept Saturday's doubleheader and the three-game series over Tarleton State University (20-23, 13-19 LSC), 5-2 and 8-5, at Nolan Ryan Field.
 
With the two wins Saturday, the Javelinas clinched their second consecutive LSC crown and will host the upcoming LSC Tournament from May 7-9. As the top seed, TSU will be the No. 4 seed and the two will meet yet again in the opening round.
 
Game One
Matt Terrones (8-1) finished with four strikeouts in 5.1 innings to improve to 8-1 on the year. Weston Silverberg came in and shut the door in the seventh to earn his fifth save of the season as the Javelinas took game one, 5-2.
 
Kyle Gottardy (4-6) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs – four earned – in 4.0 innings.
 
Clint Wallace went a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate in the game one victory with two RBI and fellow senior Ryan Fickel was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI at the dish.
 
The Hogs didn't take long as Fickel led off the bottom of the first with a double and two batters later, Wallace plated the designated hitter on an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.
 
TAMUK tacked on a run in the second on a fielder's choice and in the fourth, three runs came around to score on an error, single by Zach Smith and Wallace's second RBI base knock as the Javelinas took a 5-0 lead into the fifth.
 
The Javelinas survived a scare as the Texans stranded the bases loaded in the sixth.
 
Game Two
Ryan Benitez (7-4) rolled and dealt 6.0 innings for the victory and the Javelinas continued to provide clutch hits to clinch their second consecutive LSC championship.
 
The bottom of the order registered six RBI with Brayton Carlson going 3-for-3 with two RBI, Jimmy Roche recorded two RBI and JP Phillips finishing 2-for-4 with two RBI. Hayden Vesely scored three runs in the win.
 
After scoring the game's first run on Phillips' RBI single in the second, TAMUK added three in the fourth on back-to-back-to-back RBI singles by Carlson, Roche and Phillips to take a 4-0 lead.
 
Back-to-back walks led to two more runs in the fifth as Carlson and Roche drove in their second run of the game in the inning to head into the later innings with a 6-0 lead.
 
Tarleton State put a run on the scoreboard in the sixth, but the Hogs answered back with two runs in the bottom inning. TSU cut its deficit to 8-2 in the seventh, but the Javelinas clinched the win with stellar pitching performances, 8-5.
 
Colton Burleson (3-3) fell to 3-3 after allowing a run in 2.0 innings.
 
The Lone Star Conference Championships begin on May 7 at Nolan Ryan Field. The Javelinas will host No. 4 Tarleton State.
 
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