HOUSTON (Baseball) – History was made in the final game of the 2017 Houston Winter Invitational at Minute Maid Park as #RV Texas A&M University-Kingsville (6-0) dominated its way to a 14-4 victory over #RV St. Mary's University (4-6) en route to the best start in program history Sunday evening. The 6-0 start surpasses the 5-0 (lost sixth game of season) start to the 2001 campaign. In the run-ruled affair, Christian Caudle went 3-for-5 with five RBI and Joshua Croft finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs.
  Dallas Stefano (2-for-3 with two runs scored) and Levi Zents (2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored) joined the duo with multiple hits. Payton Geisinger and Alex Gonzalez added two runs apiece.
 
Slick with the hair and the glove, Zents made arguably the best play of 2017 in Minute Maid Park with the start of the 2017 Houston Astros season still 1.5 months away as the senior stretched out and dove into the Javelina dugout for a popout in the bottom of the sixth.
 
ON PLAYING IN A MAJOR LEAGUE STADIUM
"This was a once in a lifetime opportunity," said head coach Jason Gonzales, who was business as usual following the 3-0 performance in Houston. "We had three good starts out here and our bats were exceptional tonight. This offense did what it needed to do against a regional opponent tonight. Now it's on to Texas A&M International."
 
"We wanted to make sure we weren't nervous playing here and it showed."
 
ON CAUDLE AND CROFT
"Those are two veterans' guys at the top of the lineup that can set the tone. For a lineup as deep as ours, those two guys drove in eight of our 14 runs."
 
HOW THEY SCORED
A lefty on lefty matchup to begin the game, Croft slapped a double to straight away center and advanced to third on a single by Hunter Perkins to put runners at the corners for the backstop Caudle. The junior made quick work at the plate, doubling in top of the order to put Kingsville in front 2-0.
 
In the bottom of the first, St. Mary's was able to tie the game at 2-2, scoring on a balk and groundout.
 
The runs kept coming as Stefano and Zents began the second with singles. Geisinger reached on a fielding error that allowed TAMUK to regain the lead, 3-2, and following a Gonzalez walk that loaded the bases, Croft drove in two on a 1-0 single to extend the lead to three.
 
Two batters later, Caudle drove in Gonzalez to make it 6-2 Javelinas. A two out error by Sam Wheatley as Pablo Hernandez swiped second base made it a five-run inning for A&M-Kingsville.
 
The Rattlers did not help themselves as Stefano reached on a wild pitch, stole second and moved to third on the second throwing error by Wheatley.
 
A tailor made double play ball looked to end the fourth inning but a bobble gave StMU its third run of the game, cutting the Javelina lead to 7-3.
 
The Hogs got the run back and then some, scoring five in the top of the fifth on RBI base knocks for Gonzalez, Croft and Hernandez. Sandwiched between Croft and Hernandez's RBI singles was a two-run single by Caudle to give the junior five RBI on the evening. TAMUK tacked on two more in the top of the sixth, while StMU scored its final run in the bottom half of the inning.
 
RECORDS
Preston Plovanich (1-0) went 4.1 innings and struck out four to pick up the victory in the shortened contest. Yesterday's winner Sebi Palacios went 1.2 innings and allowed an unearned run. Chris Jones (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing seven runs – four earned – in 2.0 innings.
 
NEXT UP
The Javelinas head to Laredo for a three-game, two-day tilt at Texas A&M International University next weekend.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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