KINGSVILLE, Texas — The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team split a Saturday doubleheader with the No. 5 West Texas A&M Buffaloes as sophomore
Nick Wolff (Klein, Texas) and redshirt senior
Hayden Fails (Sweeny, Texas) went deep in a 10-7 victory, before falling 8-0 in game two.
The Javelinas (26-16, 27-14 LSC) guaranteed a series split with the No. 5 Buffs (24-19, 24-19 LSC) as sophomore
Kobe Jaramillo (Bishop, Texas) earned a game one victory, tossing five innings that featured seven strikeouts and five hits.
"Well, as a whole, you know, it was a tale of two stories", said coach
Jason Gonzales. "We played really well in game one today and didn't game two and so you come out of here with a split and after winning the first one, you don't feel as good about a split as you should. But again, when it's all said and done, if we can come out here tomorrow and get one tomorrow, then we can finish off what will be a really good weekend…we've got to put this to bed as quickly as we can and try to get after the ball."
Game One
Four different hitters logged three hits in game one, including Wolff, sophomore
Shelby Becker (Giddings, Texas), classmates
Jake Chapman (Boerne, Texas) and
Garrett Thompson (New Braunfels, Texas). Wolff and Fails led the way in RBIs with Wolff at three and Fails earning two.
The Javelinas jumped on the board quickly, putting six runs up in the bottom of the first that began with a Becker walk. Shortly after, Wolff smashed his third home run of the series for his team-leading 10th of the year. The inning continued with senior
Giancarlo Servin (Edinburg, Texas) scoring on a triple by Chapman. The Boerne, Texas native then scored himself on a base knock by Castro. Fails capped off the inning with a two-run bomb, his second longball of the season.
The Buffs pushed two across in the second, before Thompson smoked a triple into the gap and scored on a Bumstead groundout that resulted in a 7-1 score line.
WT trimmed the deficit to two as a result of a Buffalo double in the fifth, but the Hogs again persevered as back-to-back two-baggers by senior
Kyler Bumstead (Kountze, Texas) and Becker put ducks on the pond for Wolff. The Klein, Texas native delivered a single through the right side that allowed Bumstead to dent home plate, before a sacrificed fly by Servin plated Becker.
With the score line 9-5, the Buffs put two across in the sixth via a home run, cutting into the Javelina lead. Becker sliced a single through the left side in the bottom of the inning scoring the 10th and final run of the ballgame.
Sophomore
Colton Taylor (Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada) tossed the last two innings, striking out four and giving up just two hits in the 10-7 victory.
Game Two
West Texas A&M put up crooked numbers in the first, third, sixth and seventh to take the game 8-0.
Adam Becker gave his team the lead with a two run home run inte first, before a sac fly and a bases loaded hit by pitch in the third doubled the WT lead. Another longball in the sixth handed the Buffs a 6-0 lead, prior to an RBI single and a Javelina miscue in the seventh that pushed across the seventh and eighth runs of the ballgame.
Redshirt senior
Brandon Symmank (Cypress, Texas) started on the bump in game two, striking out three in 2.2 innings of work. Four pitchers followed him in the form of junior
Luis Martinez (Grulla, Texas) who tossed, 1.1 without giving up a hit. Redshirt Freshman
Jackson Teer (San Antonio, Texas) and redshirt senior
Mason Foster (Dilley, Texas) split up the fifth and sixth, each fanning one, while senior
Mathew Oleson (Driftwood, Texas) and sophomore
Cole Payne (Cuero, Texas) shared the seventh, with Oleson punching out one.
The Javelinas could not overcome potent pitching by Jack Eagan who tossed seven no hit frames.
Sunday's series finale will see a 1 p.m. first pitch as the Javelinas eye a series victory over the Buffs.
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