KINGSVILLE, Texas- The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team started the season 2-0 in Lone Star Conference play, besting the Cameron Aggies in both games of an opening day doubleheader. The Hogs won game one 5-3 with a dominant pitching performance by senior
Kolby Lunsford (Helotes, Texas), before home runs from senior
Giancarlo Servin (Edinburg, Texas) and sophomore
Jake Chapman (Boerne, Texas) handed the Javelinas a 7-2 win at Nolan Ryan Field on Saturday.
Game One
Lunsford was lights out on the mound in the first game of the twin bill as the 2021 all-conference selection kick-started the 2022 campaign, recording nine strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work, allowing a single hit.
Sophomore
Matthew Castro (Corpus Christi, Texas) sparked a two-out rally in the bottom of the third, singling up the middle before swiping second. A couple of walks later, Castro charged home on a wild pitch, earning the Pack their first run of the season. Junior
Steven Bonuz (Port Lavaca, Texas) then smacked a grounder up the middle, plating a pair and delivering a 3-0 Javelina lead.
Castro knocked one back at the pitcher after a double-steal by senior
Kyler Bumstead (Kountze, Texas) and redshirt freshman
Ramsey Amador (Edinburg, Texas), allowing the pair to score and stretching the Blue and Gold edge to five in the sixth.
An error, a walk, and a single had the Aggies in a bases-loaded scenario, as coach
Jason Gonzales called upon senior
Mason Foster (Dilley, Texas), who got TAMUK out of the jam, inducing a fielder's-choice groundout.
With their backs against the wall in the top of the seventh, Cameron finally broke through as Erik Ohman logged an RBI single, before the Javelina lead was trimmed to two on a double by Beau Williams.
In his Blue and Gold debut, sophomore
Colton Taylor (Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada) came in and slammed the door shut, recording a ground out and earning a save in the 5-3 victory.
Game Two
On the bump in game two, sophomore
Kobe Jaramillo (Bishop, Texas) scattered four hits over four innings in his first performance with the Pack, striking out six, issuing just one walk.
The Hogs wasted no time getting on the board, with Servin smacking an RBI double, before scoring himself on a Bonuz sacrifice fly, resulting in a two-run Javelina edge. The Blue and Gold picked up right where they left off, opening the second with Amador plating sophomore
Cole Payne (Cuero, Texas) before stealing home on an errant failed pickoff attempt.
With the Javs up four, Cameron, plated a runner on a double in the top of the third, before TAMUK quickly answered quickly with Servin smacking a solo shot to left field in the bottom frame, making the score 5-1 in favor of the home team.
The bats remained quiet until the fifth when sophomore
Jake Chapman (Boerne, Texas) smashed a homer over the wall in left-center, bringing Bonuz in with him and increasing the Aggie deficit to 6.
Cameron pushed across another run in the sixth, but it was too little too late as TAMUK completed the second of their opening day victories.
The Javelinas play game two of the four-game series Sunday at 2 p.m., before the series finale Monday, at 1 p.m.
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