KINGSVILLE, Texas-Ā On Sunday, the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team suffered a 6-3 defeat in the series finale of a Lone Star Conference showdown against Arkansas-Fort Smith at Nolan Ryan Field.Ā
The Javelinas (16-14, 14-13 LSC) fell to the Lions (7-19, 5-19 LSC) as UAFS snapped a 12-game losing streak and Grant Shankle (3-3) earned the win, with seniorĀ Matthew SeslerĀ (0-2) getting tagged with a loss and Braydon Ross (1) picking up a save.
At the plate, juniorĀ Nick WolffĀ drove in a pair of runs, while redshirt juniorĀ Ivan DuarteĀ provided an RBI, and redshirt sophomoreĀ Dalton KramerĀ and juniorĀ Shelby BeckerĀ each logged multiple hits.Ā
SophomoreĀ Robbie SpencerĀ started for TAMUK, scattering a hit over three frames with a strikeout, while Sesler threw 3.1 innings with two hits and three strikeouts. Additionally, juniorĀ Cole PayneĀ shined in relief, fanning three in the final 1.2 frames of the ballgame.Ā
The Lions struck first, pushing across a run in the first frame of the ballgame on a walk, a single, and a sac-fly.Ā
TAMUK responded in the third, as Kramer singled and swiped second before Duarte walked ahead of a double steal that allowed Kramer to reach third. He then charged home on an RBI groundout by Wolff, knotting the contest at one apiece.Ā
The Javelinas loaded up the bases in the bottom of the fifth as Becker doubled prior to consecutive walks by Duarte and Wolff but were left stranded by Shankle. The Lions then carried that momentum into the top of the sixth as a Matt Schilling solo shot afforded them a 2-1 edge.Ā
In the bottom of the sixth, the Pack threatened again, sparking a two-out rally with a juniorĀ Michael CervantesĀ single and a pair of walks for Becker and Kramer, putting ducks on the pond. Ross then came in and preserved the Lion lead, inducing a lazy fly ball to end the stanza.Ā
UAFS then added one to their total in the seventh and three more in the eighth, resulting in a 6-1 score entering the ninth. Payne tossed a scoreless frame, and the Javelinas looked to rally in the bottom of the inning, with a Becker single and a Kramer double putting runners on base. An RBI groundout by Duarte and a single by Wolff plated the pair for a 6-3 score that concluded the contest.Ā
The Javelinas will now hit the road for a four-game series against Oklahoma Christian beginning on Friday at 5 p.m. at Dobson Field in Oklahoma City.Ā
Stay up-to-date with everything Javelina baseball atĀ JavelinaAthletics.com, follow the program on TwitterĀ @JavelinaBSB, and see recent news on Facebook atĀ /JavelinaBSB.
