KINGSVILLE, Texas - Junior Giancarlo Servin (Edinburg, Texas) completed the comeback for the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball program on Friday at Nolan Ryan Field with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to secure the Lone Star Conference series opener against St. Edward's at 7-6.
"It looked like we hadn't played in two weeks," said head coach Jason Gonzales, "and we had to knock a little bit of rust off. I think we came out a bit sluggish which was disappointing, but again, and I've said this quite a few times, I like the fight that we had.
"Guys competed and guys came off the bench, Hayden [Fails] got us going in the eighth and there was a lot of stuff that took place in the eighth. Just to have an opportunity to win it in the ninth like that, I'm extremely proud of them."
The Javelinas (15-8, 14-8 LSC) gave up six runs to the Hilltoppers (11-16, 10-15 LSC) between the third and fourth frames, but connected for four runs late in the contest before Servin provided the exclamation point in the ninth.
The Hogs' recent LSC and NCBWA Pitcher of the Week honoree junior Logan Garza (Round Rock, Texas) got roughed up a bit in the two innings SEU found the plate. Morgan Allen started the rally for the visitors in the third with a bounding-ball single up the middle that plated Dylan Mackin, while a three-run shot from Chase Cos later in the at-bat set the score at 4-0 heading into the home half of the stanza.
TAMUK got one back after freshman Matthew Castro (Corpus Christi, Texas) led off the bottom of the third with a single to left on the first pitch of his trip to the plate. He reached third after redshirt senior Kohl Ullman (Houston, Texas) lifted the first offering from Trent Rosenauer down the left-field line for two bases for runners at second and third with nobody out.
Senior Seth Spinn (Holland, Texas) pushed Castro across with a grounder picked up by the shortstop for a 4-1 score going into the fifth.
SEU took advantage of a few odd plays in the top of the fourth after a bunt single from Mackin scored Turner Olsen for the first run. Mackin pushed the bunt into no man's land on the first-base side of the bump, just out of Garza's reach, and gave Olsen enough room to score.
Mackin ended up breaking for second just ahead of Garza's pickoff attempt during the next Hilltopper at-bat and a two-base error from the Javelina resulted in a 6-1 score going into the fifth.
The Hogs got their second run home in the bottom of the sixth when Spinn led the frame off with a triple pasted to left-center on the first pitch he saw. A towering fly ball to right from Servin was caught deep enough for Spinn to score as a line of 6-2 shined on the board going into the seventh.
The four-run eighth for the hosts was ignited by redshirt junior Hayden Fails (Sweeny, Texas) who ripped a double to right-center with one out in the inning. He moved up to third on a single to right Spinn and scored on another single through the right side of the diamond from Servin.
The Hilltoppers opted for AG Ayala ahead of Servin's at-bat but it did little to stem the tide that was forming. A triple pasted into left-center from senior Austin De Leon (Frisco, Texas) cut the deficit to one as Spinn and Servin both scored, and he later came home on a bounding-ball single into right from classmate Cameron Melcher (Kerrville, Texas) to tie the contest at 6-6 going into the ninth.
The visitors threatened with the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth with runners in scoring position with two outs by virtue of a balk, but junior Mason Foster (Dilley, Texas) worked out of the jam with a popup in foul territory from Cullen Ainsworth that was gloved by junior Reid Baty (Laramie, Wyo.).
The bottom of the ninth was led off by Ullman who reached on a Hilltopper miscue. A bunt single from Baty preceded a five-pitch walk issued to Spinn to load the bases for Servin.
One final pitching change was in store for SEU as Austin Essex took over on the bump, but Servin worked the count full and snuck a single down the left-field line to secure the series-opening win for the Hogs in dramatic fashion.
TAMUK combined for 14 hits in the contest with Spinn and Servin each collecting three, while Ullman tallied two of his own. Foster, meanwhile, was credited with his second win.
Game two of the league series is set for 3 p.m. CT at Nolan Ryan Field on Saturday, April 17.
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