KINGSVILLE, Texas- Texas A&M-Kingsville's baseball team found late game heroics with its first walk-off and home win of the season courtesy of an Ivan Duarte home run for the 8-7 win over Texas A&M International on Wednesday night.
Duarte's home run, came down 0-2 in the count with two outs in the bottom of the ninth after the Dustdevils tied the game in the top half of the inning pushing three runs across.
It was pitching by committee tonight, as the Javelinas had a different pitcher for every half inning.
Cole Payne (2-0) gets the win going one inning giving up three runs on three hits striking out three. Robbie Spencer, Blake Rogers, Marco Martinez, Matt Vasquez, and Luis Martinez all posted scoreless innings on the mound for the Javelinas.
Adrian Talavera (0-1) picks up the loss for TAMIU going two-thirds of an inning giving up the game winning run on one hit.
After clean innings for both teams to start the game, the Dustdevils got off the mark with a two-run home run courtesy of Cameron Stevenson in the top of the second.
Hayden Johnson provided a prompt response for TAMUK in the bottom half of the second, taking a first pitch fastball to right center with the ball bouncing off the warning track and over for a ground rule double scoring Jacob Rosales from second. Only a few pitches later, Ivan Duarte scored on a wild pitch against Colton Allen. Later in that plate appearance Allen battled back from being down 0-2 in the count, lacing an RBI single up the middle to score Johnson giving the Javs a 3-2 lead.
TAMIU threatened offensively in the top of the third, getting a runner to second before a well hit ball to left was snagged by a sliding Rosales to preserve the Javelina lead.
After two scoreless innings, TAMIU tied the game at 3-3, on another long ball this time against Jacob Poulson in the top of the fifth.
The Javs responded quickly again, pushing three across in the bottom half of the fifth. Dalton Kramer scored Nick Wolff on a sacrifice fly to right field. Later, Duarte walked with two outs courtesy of a pitch clock violation assessed against TAMIU, and Johnson followed up with two more RBIs on a single to left field to score Rosales and Ramsey Amador giving the Javs a 6-3 lead.
In the top of the sixth, the Dustdevils got their first two batters into scoring position with no outs, but were unable to get anything across against Matt Vasquez who got the next three batters out, one coming courtesy of an incredible diving catch in foul territory by Garrett Thompson who came ranging over from second base making the grab just past the Dustdevil dugout.
TAMIU did get one run back in the top of the seventh on an RBI single to left center, but left another two runners stranded as the Javs advantage stood at 6-4.
Amador started the bottom half of the seventh with a double for the Javs as Kramer followed right after him smacking an RBI single to right field over the second baseman's head pushing the Blue and Gold's lead back to three at 7-4.
In the top of the ninth, the Dustdevils loaded the bases before two singles down the left field line scored three against Cole Payne who came in to pitch the ninth for the Javs tying the game at 7-7.
Ivan Duarte, provided the late game heroics though for the Javelinas as he launched the 0-2 fastball over the left field wall for the walk-off dinger giving TAMUK the 8-7 win.
The Javelinas return to Nolan Ryan Field on Friday at 3 p.m. to open their series against Eastern New Mexico.
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