KINGSVILLE Texas. — The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team managed a 21-10 victory over the UT Tyler Patriots in game two of a best-of-three opening-round series at the 2022 Lone Star Conference Baseball tournament. Following the win, a Sunday rubber match is now set to begin at 1 p.m., with the winner advancing to a double-elimination tournament hosted by the highest remaining seed.
The No. 4 seed Javelinas (31-17, 28-16 LSC) scored in every inning to beat the No. 5 seed Patriots (30-20, 29-19 LSC) as senior
Giancarlo Servin (Edinburg, Texas) led the offensive onslaught, smashing three home runs and driving in four runs. This marks the fourth time in program history that someone has launched three over the wall in a single game and the first time it's been done in the postseason. Additionally, senior
Logan Garza (Round Rock, Texas) started on the bump and earned his seventh win of the season, striking out five in five innings of work.
The Javelina third baseman wasn't the only Javelina to drive in four runs as sophomore
Nick Wolff (Klein, Texas) matched his RBI total on a home run and a pair of sacrificed fly balls. Three other Javelinas joined them in bating multiple runs in, as sophomores
Ivan Duarte (Juarez, Mexico) and
Matthew Castro (Corpus Christi, Texas) each logged three, while classmate
Garrett Thompson (New Braunfels, Texas) drove in two.
Servin got his first long ball in the first inning, as he drilled a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left-center, to open up the scoring. The Patriots quickly tied the game in the bottom half of the inning courtesy of a UTT double.
In the second, the Javelinas tacked five onto their total as a double by Castro scored a pair of runs, before he scored himself on a single by Thompson. Later in the inning, Wolff smashed the first pitch he saw over the center-field wall for a 6-1 Blue and Gold lead.
The Javelinas put three on the board in the third as Thompson knocked in Castro, who reached base after being plunked. Servin then smoked one down the left field line that landed just fair for his second home run of the contest. The Patriots got three back in the bottom of the frame, courtesy of a double, a wild pitch, and a sacrificed fly that resulted in a 9-4 score line.
Another trio of runs were scored in the fourth after the Javelinas loaded the bases as sophomore
Jake Chapman (Boerne, Texas) worked a walk, classmate
Shelby Becker (Giddings, Texas) slapped a single, and a pitch hit redshirt freshman
Ramsey Amador (El Paso, Texas). Senior
Kyler Bumstead (Kountze, Texas) didn't last long in the batter's box as he was plunked, scoring Chapman, ahead of a sacrificed fly ball by Duarte that plated Becker. Bumstead later crossed the plate on a fielding error by the Patriot shortstop for the team's 12th run of the ballgame.
In the fifth, Amador scored on a single by Duarte before the Patriots pushed three across the plate on a pair of home runs for a 13-4 score line.
Wolff scored Thompson on a sacrifice fly in the sixth, prior to a pair of Patriot runs in the bottom of the frame. The teams then matched each other in the seventh, each scoring a single run as Duarte knocked in Becker courtesy of a sacrifice fly, before a leadoff double and a single added one for UT Tyler.
Servin launched his third homer in the eighth, handing TAMUK a 16-10 lead before junior
Matthew Sesler (Harlingen, Texas) tossed a scoreless bottom half.
The Javelina offense capped off their stellar night with a five-run top of the ninth, loading up the bases on a hit by pitch and a pair of walks. Castro was then plunked himself, allowing sophomore
Cole Payne (Cuero, Texas) to score before Bumstead crossed the plate on a wild pitch. A second wild pitch pushed Thompson home before a Wolff sacrifice scored Castro. The 21st and final run of the ballgame came courtesy of Chapman, who slapped a single into right field, plating Thompson.
Junior
Luis Martinez (Grulla, Texas) came in to pitch and allowed one hit in the ninth before his defense logged three outs to secure the victory and force a winner-take-all game three.
The finale is slated for 1 p.m. at Nolan Ryan Field in Kingsville, Texas, with the victor advancing to a double-elimination neutral-site tournament.
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