KINGSVILLE, Texas (Baseball) – Texas A&M University-Kingsville (3-0) head coach Jason Gonzales said his lineup from top to bottom has the potential to do damage and give pitchers a cushion. Three games into the season, the offense exploded for 20 runs in the backend of a doubleheader sweep and 3-0 series victory over Wiley College (0-5) Saturday afternoon at Nolan Ryan Field. The rainy doubleheader began with a 7-2 win.
  Pablo Hernandez went 2-of-4 with two runs scored in game one and followed 4-of-5 with three runs scored and six RBI. Dallas Stefano was 2-of-3 with two ribbies in the opener and then drove in three in game two.
 
GAME 1
HOW THEY SCORED
It was scoreless through the first 3.0 innings, but #RV Texas A&M-Kingsville was able to get on the board in the bottom of the fourth on Stefano's RBI triple. The Wildcat center fielder slipped near the warning track to allow Hernandez to score.
 
Two defensive miscues in the top of the fifth put Wiley ahead of TAMUK, 2-1.
 
The rally began in the bottom of the sixth with Jimmy Roche reaching on a walk. Hunter Perkins reached on a fielder's choice and moved into scoring position on Hernandez's single. Stefano picked up his second ribbie of the game with Perkins coming around to score and tying the game at 2-2. Hernandez slid into home on a wild pitch as Kingsville regained the lead, this time at 3-2. Levi Zents and pinch hitter Christian Caudle walked to load the bases and Payton Geisinger, who entered as a defensive replacement earlier in the game, drove in Stefano to extend the lead to 4-2. Alex Gonzalez made it a big inning with a two-run single and TAMUK added one more to put up six in the inning and went into the seventh up 7-2.
 
Hernandez and Stefano recorded two hits apiece and Stefano and Gonzalez drove in four total.
 
RECORDS
Tyler Crouch threw 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to improve to 1-0. Joe Champion, who tossed 2.2 scoreless innings last night, was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs to fall to 0-1.
 
GAME 2
Hernandez went 4-for-5 with six RBI and three runs, Stefano added three ribbies and Tim Gleinser registered three hits, three RBI and four runs from the leadoff spot as the offense exploded for 20 runs on 12 hits in the 20-4 victory.
 
HOW THEY SCORED
Patience at the plate led to three runs in the bottom of the first for TAMUK. Roche drove in the game's first run on a single and Hernandez plated two on a double to give the Hogs a 3-0 lead. However, errors and a two-run home run by the Wildcats led to four runs in the top of the second for WC to give the 'Cats a 4-3 lead.
 
Small ball led to two runs in the bottom of the second as Gleinser's perfectly executed squeeze brought home two to give A&M-Kingsville a 5-4 edge. A huge second extended the Blue and Gold's lead to five, 9-4.
 
The offense batted around in the third, scoring nine on five hits to go up 18-4.
 
TAMUK tacked on two more runs to take the series in a 3-0 sweep, 20-4.
 
Palacios (1-0) picked up the win after going 3.0 innings in his first start of the season. Isaiah Lybarger, Nick Hutchison and Aaron Moore combined for 4.0 scoreless innings.
 
NEXT UP
The alumni game is scheduled for next weekend at Nolan Ryan Field so be sure to sign up to play in the exhibition on Saturday.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow the six-time Lone Star Conference champions on Twitter (@JavelinaBSB) and Instagram (@JavelinaBSB), and like the /JavelinaBSB Facebook page.