Laredo, Texas-Â The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team fell 7-6 in a nonconference matchup against Texas A&M-International on Wednesday at Jorge Haynes Field, despite five players driving in runs for the Javelinas.Â
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The Javelinas (10-8, 9-7 LSC) narrowly lost to the Dustdevils (6-12, 5-11 LSC), as redshirt junior Ivan Duarte and junior Michael Cervantes each logged a multi-hit game while driving in runs.Â
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Billy Winnans (1-0) picked up the win for TAMIU, and Adrian Talavera (1) earned a save as freshman Marco Martinez (1-1) was handed his first loss of the season.Â
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The Javelinas used four pitchers, with junior Jerson Morales making his second career start and striking out three in the first 2.1 frames. Senior Matthew Sesler then tossed 2.2 excellent innings, striking out one without allowing a single base runner. Junior Cole Payne tossed the seventh before handing the ball to Martinez, who finished things out with four strikeouts over the final two innings.Â
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TAMIU struck first, plating a run in the bottom of the second before TAMUK answered with a crooked number in the bottom of the third. Junior Garrett Thompson walked, swiped second, and scored a single by sophomore Dalton Kramer. Shortly after, Kramer scampered home on a Dustdevil miscue, handing TAMUK a 2-1 edge.Â
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The lead didn't last long as the Dustdevils pushed four runs across in the bottom of the third, resulting in a 5-2 score line favoring the opposition.Â
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Duarte launched one over the outfield wall to open the fourth, pulling TAMUK within two.Â
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A pair of clean innings by Sessler kept the Javelinas within striking distance as back-to-back walks in the top of the sixth put two runners on for Cervantes. The junior from League City, Texas, delivered, slicing a single into right field and scoring Duarte. Sophomore Brandon Ramirez then singled toward the pitcher, pushing junior Matthew Castro across the plate. Thompson used a deep fly ball to plate Cervantes, putting TAMUK up 6-5.
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The Dustdevils tied things up in the bottom of the seventh, as Beto Cervantes crossed the plate on a sac fly before delivering a 7-6 lead for his squad with a triple in the bottom of the eighth, that scoring Matt Kissamis for the final run of the ballgame.Â
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The Pack now turns its attention toward UT Permian Basin, who head to Kingsville, Texas, for a four-game Lone Star Conference series beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. inside Nolan Ryan Field.Â
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