SAN ANGELO, Texas (Baseball) – Trailing 5-4 heading into the seventh, the Javelinas scored a run in the seventh and two in the eighth to take game four versus #RV Angelo State University (13-8, 6-2 LSC), 7-6, Sunday afternoon at Foster Field at 1
st Community Credit Union Stadium. #RV/28 Texas A&M University-Kingsville (12-6, 5-3 LSC) and the Rams split the first series and will battle at Nolan Ryan Field April 15-16.
Brayton Carlson led off the seventh with a double down the left field line and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 5-5.
Miles Holcomb recorded an opposite field double with one out in the eighth and after
Christian Caudle walked, back-to-back wild pitches allowed Holcomb to score as Caudle advanced to third.
Pablo Hernandez singled to center field to add a second run in the eighth as the Javelinas went into the bottom of the eighth with a 7-5 lead.
The two runs proved to be crucial as the Rams scored a run in the ninth but
Hayden Vesely shut the door in the ninth to pick up his second save in as many days and in 2016 as the first series between the two programs featured two wins for each club.
Kyle Black (1-0) earned his first win of the season with 3.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Graylon Brown (2-3) was tagged with the loss after allowing two runs in 2.1 innings.
Texas A&M-Kingsville registered five doubles in the matinee game. Holcomb went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and a double,
Ruben Almaguer was 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI, Hernandez went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Carlson was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
The Javelinas struck first with a RBI double in the leadoff inning after Carlson, who led off the game with an infield single, scored on Almaguer's RBI double.
Almaguer drove in his second run of the ballgame on another double in the third as
Zach Smith, who reached on a walk and advanced into scoring position on a stolen base, came around to score to give Texas A&M-Kingsville a 2-0 lead.
Holcomb led off the fourth with a walk and scored on Hernandez's RBI single to give the Hogs a 3-0 lead.
Angelo State chipped away at its deficit and scored two runs but the Javelina defense and pitching came up big, forcing the Rams to strand the bases juiced.
The Rams scored three in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead but much like the series indicated, the Javelina offense came up big when it needed to, plating three between the seventh and eighth innings to defeat the Rams, 7-6.
Texas A&M-Kingsville returns to the friendly confines of Nolan Ryan Field to host first year program Our Lady of the Lake University March 15 at 4 p.m.
For full coverage of Javelina baseball, please follow @JavelinaBSB on Twitter and Instagram, and like our Facebook page (/JavelinaSports).
