KINGSVILLE, Texas - The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball program methodically erased a 10-run deficit from regional foe St. Edward's on Tuesday at Nolan Ryan Field, and walked off with the win in unconventional fashion with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

The Javelinas (10-4) got the first two runners aboard in the final frame with one out on a single into center from junior Austin De Leon (Frisco, Texas), before redshirt junior Kohl Ullman (Houston, Texas) was plunked on the second offering from Jayson Flores.

The Hilltoppers (10-7) opted for a pitching change, of which there were 17 between the two squads on the evening, to get the second out before junior Seth Spinn (Holland, Texas) was intentionally walked to load the bases.

On the second pitch to sophomore Giancarlo Servin (Edinburg, Texas), Koehler Vandament lost the handle and the ball skipped far enough away from Robbie Lammons to let De Leon stride home easily to start the late-night celebration at 15-14.

"That's one of the toughest, grind-it-out wins that I've ever been a part of," said head coach Jason Gonzales. "I wouldn't recommend being down by 10 runs in the third, but I was proud of the way the team continued to battle back and one of the things we preach all the time is we're never out of the fight.

"Credit to the guys for continuing to believe and to be professional in their at bats and their approach and to not play the score. It's important to not play the score and to instead just play the game, so I couldn't be more proud of them."

The contest started off innocently enough with neither side making much headway through the first two innings. SEU had a baserunner in both frames but failed to capitalize, while the Hogs couldn't convert two runners on with two outs in the first.

The dam broke in the third inning with 10 runs coming from the visitors. An RBI triple to center from Ryan McPhail started the scoring through two batters, while a two-run liner to right from Blake Holub set the score at 3-0 before an out had been recorded.

A pitching change from TAMUK did little to stem the tide as the Hilltoppers tacked on another with a bases-loaded walk issued to Lammons, while another pitching change preceded the next six runs when Zach Schindler tallied a painful RBI via bases-loaded hit by pitch.

A two-run double to right from Matthew Jimenez and a two-run single to right from Dylan Mackin kept the score moving in the direction of St. Edward's, while a sacrifice fly from Holub set the deficit at a seemingly-insurmountable 10 runs heading into the bottom half of the stanza.

The Hogs chipped away at the lead in the following sequence as senior Donovan Lewis (Alvin, Texas) cracked the egg after roping the 1-2 pitch into the right center gap to plate redshirt senior Alex Gonzalez (Corpus Christi, Texas) with the bases juiced.

Meanwhile, a bases-loaded walk issued to classmate Pablo Hernandez (Havana, Cuba) in the following at bat put the score at 10-2 heading into the fourth and served as the precursor for the deluge of runs that would come from the hosts in the following innings.

TAMUK tacked on four in the bottom of the fourth, getting one each on an RBI single to center from Servin and a bounding-ball single through the left half of the diamond from redshirt season Manny Loredo (McAllen, Texas).

The other two runs in the inning came courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Hernandez with one out, with a double into the left center gap from junior Cameron Melcher (Kerrville, Texas) setting the scoreboard at 10-6 going into the fifth.

SEU got a run back on an RBI double to left center from Jacob Vasquez in the top half of the frame, while the Javelinas added four of their own to effectively erase the 10-run third inning.

Two runs came home on a seeing-eye single from Loredo through the gap on the right half of the infield, while another two were plated on a double down the left field line from Lewis that reset the score at 11-10 going into the sixth.

An RBI groundout from Jimenez in the sixth, followed by a sacrifice fly from Jake Hahn in the seventh, turned into a vain attempt to keep the Hogs at bay as TAMUK finally tied contest at 13 apiece on three consecutive hits in the bottom of the seventh.

Melcher started the rally as he brought home Hernandez on a diving shot into center for the first run. Hernandez reached on a two-out triple that two-hopped the right center fence to ignite the rally before De Leon added a triple of his own to center field to plate Melcher.

An infield single to the shortstop from Ullman to end the sequence knotted the score at 13-13 for the Javelinas heading into the eighth.

The Hilltoppers' last gasp came in the form of a bounding-ball single up the gut for a run in the top half of the frame, while the hosts once again tied the game behind some clever play in the bottom half.

Lewis and Servin both stood on the basepaths with two outs in the at bat, with the former on first and the latter on third. Lewis ended up taking off on a pitch during Hernandez's at bat and drew the intial throw down from Lammons.

Rather than taking the base, Lewis instead held up and forced a rundown with Jimenez covering the bag. A quick glance from the Jimenez over to Servin turned the play on its head as the Hog was far enough down the baseline to bait a throw.

The throw to third base ended up sailing over the head of Vasquez and bounced away to let Servin tie the contest at 14 each.

SEU had another opportunity with a runner at second in the top of the ninth, courtesy of a Javelina miscue, but it didn't matter in the long run as the craziness in the bottom half of the inning served as the cherry on top of the four-hour and 44-minute sundae as TAMUK stood on top at 15-14.

Six different Javelinas posted multi-hit games in the win, with Spinn leading the pack on three hits in five at bats, two singles and one double, alongside two walks, two runs and one stolen base.

Loredo, Lewis, Hernandez, Melcher and De Leon all finished with two hits of their own. Hernandez and De Leon both had a triple as one of their two, while Melcher owned a double.

Senior Eric Sandoz (Austin, Texas) took the win after pitching the final one and 1/3 innings. Redshirt junior Alex Canul (Edinburg, Texas) started the contest and earned a no-decision after going two innings on the hill with one strikeout.

The Hogs will next face off against Lone Star Conference foe Angelo State for a four-game set on Friday, March 8, at Nolan Ryan Field in regional action. First pitch of game one is set for 6 p.m. CT.

Stay up-to-date with everything Javelina baseball at JavelinaAthletics.com, follow the program on Twitter @JavelinaBSB and see recent news on Facebook at /JavelinaBSB

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