KINGSVILLE, Texas - The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball program dropped game one of its Lone Star Conference series against No. 1 Angelo State on Friday at Nolan Ryan Field by a score of 12-3.
The Javelinas (12-5, 11-5 LSC) fell behind 4-0 in the third to the Rams (16-2, 11-2 LSC), despite three unearned runs, and never recovered en route to the final.
ASU tabbed the first run in the third with an RBI single to center field on a cleanly-executed hit-and-run after Nicholas Novak connected with the pitch as Jordan Williams took off from first and raced around the bags for the lead.
The visitors put the following runner on from a Hog miscue and Aaron Walters made the hosts pay for their mistake as he sent the 1-2 offering over the right center wall for a 4-0 cushion going into the home half of the frame.
The Rams added three more in the fifth with back-to-back-to-back hits with two outs on the board, prompting a pitching change and a 7-0 deficit going into the bottom of the inning. TAMUK got two back after senior Seth Spinn (Holland, Texas) drew a leadoff walk and moved up to third on a double to right center from junior Giancarlo Servin (Edinburg, Texas) in the next at bat.
Freshman Damian Rodriguez (McAllen, Texas) turned in the rare two-run sacrifice fly as his long fly ball was snagged on the warning track in left center and allowed both runners to come home for a 7-2 score.
ASU took both runs back in its next at bat, getting the first on a bases-loaded walk and the second on a passed ball. The Javelinas didn't get their next run until the bottom of the sixth when Damian Rodriguez brought in Servin again, this time on a single to left center.
The final three runs were tacked on in the top of the eighth by the Rams, one on a double down the left field line and the next two on a two-run single bounced through the left half of the diamond.
Junior John Mike Rodriguez (Corpus Christi, Texas) was saddled with his second loss as he got chased in the fourth, finishing with 3.2 innings on the hill with seven runs allowed, four earned, and one strikeout.
Servin was the lone Javelina with multiple hits as he finished with two coupled with two runs scored.
Game two of the series is set for first pitch at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 27, at Nolan Ryan Field.
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