Kingsville, Texas– Travis Geiser's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning pushed across the winning run as the No. 18 Texas A&-M Kingsville baseball team walked-off with a 5-4 victory over the St. Mary's Rattlers in game one of a doubleheader at Nolan Ryan Field on Saturday in Kingsville, Texas. St Mary's came back to win game two, 6-4.
The Hogs now own a record of 8-2 in 2018. St Mary's sits at 7-4.
Game One
The game-winning rally started when Levi Zents began the frame with a single and Kohl Ullman and Alex Gonzalez each followed with hits of their own to load the bases. When Branson Hall hit Dylan Hutcheson with a pitch, Zents came across with the tying run. Geiser followed by ripping the game-winning single through the left side and the Javelinas had their eighth win
The Rattlers got on the board first in the top of the third. A double by Andrew Perez brought up Donnie Perez, who sent an RBI single up the middle for a 1-0 lead. Another single combined with two errors produced a second run for the visitors.
Angel Vega upped the St. Mary's lead to 3-0 with a run-scoring single in the fourth, but the Hogs were quick to respond in the bottom half of the inning. A one out double by Geiser was followed two batters later by a Pablo Hernandez single, sending in Geiser to make the score 3-1.
The Javs fought back to tie the game in the sixth, putting together a rally that began with an RBI single from Alex Gonzalez. A knock from Geiser pushed Gonzalez to third and he raced home when Christian Caudle skied a sacrifice fly into left. After Hernandez was hit by a pitch, Austin Ingraham punched a single into right, scoring Geiser with the tying run. The Rattlers quickly regained the lead in the top of the seventh, however, when Vega scored on a sacrifice fly, but TAMUK was ready with an answer in their last at-bat.
Game Two
Both teams dented home plate in the second, with St. Mary's starting the frame by scoring three times. A hit batter and a walk put two ducks on the pond and Mario Vela drove in one with a single. Steven Wynn tallied two more with a double into the left field corner, but TAMUK had an answer. Ingraham and Ullman drew free passes and Zents took advantage with a run-scoring single to left. Will Arnold then brought the Hoggies to within a run with a sacrifice fly.
The Rattlers went up by two in the third, as Perez walked, took second on a wild pitch and touched home when Jonathan Ramirez singled. Both pitching staffs settled down after that, keeping the score stuck at 4-2 for the next three frames.
In the seventh, the Rattlers loaded the bases with consecutive singles and a two out walk. Another base on balls, this one to Vela, forced in St. Mary's fifth run of the game. In the bottom half of the inning, Zents led-off with a double and tallied two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Alex Gonzalez.
TAMUK got within a run in the eighth when Caudle scored on an error, but they also stranded the tying run at third. The Javs were unable to get anything going in the ninth, as Octavio Rodriguez retired the side in order.
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