KINGSVILLE, Texas- Despite a pair of home runs by junior Nick Wolff, the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team fell 9-5 in a Lone Star Conference series opener at Nolan Ryan Field on Friday.
The Javelinas (19-16, 18-15 LSC) dropped game one against the Rattlers (16-15, 14-15 LSC), with junior Kobe Jaramillo (2-3) picking up the loss, while Connor Schmidt (4-0) earned the win and Andrew Girod (5) the save.Â
In addition to Wolff, four Javelinas logged hits in the form of classmate Shelby Becker, sophomore Jake Chapman, redshirt sophomore Dalton Kramer, and junior Jacob Rosales.Â
The Rattlers struck first, putting up crooked numbers in the second and fourth to take a 4-0 lead. They added two more in the fifth on a home run by Brandon Broughton and another in the sixth on a solo shot by Rudy Solis.Â
Now trailing 7-0, Wolff launched his first long ball on the evening, plating redshirt junior Ivan Duarte and bringing his squad within five. A senior Steven Bonuz walk followed, ahead of a Becker triple that scored him. Chapman then allowed Becker to dent the plate on a sac fly, resulting in a 7-4 score line.Â
Junior Cole Payne took over for Jaramillo, ending the Bishop, Texas native's day with seven strikeouts across six innings. Payne then tossed a scoreless seventh before two unearned Rattler runs crossed the plate in the eighth following a Javelina miscue.Â
Wolff led off the bottom of the eighth with another moonshot that saw a 9-5 score, still favoring StMU.Â
Sophomore Robbie Spencer tossed a scoreless top of the ninth ahead of a bottom frame that saw the Javelinas threaten to rally. Rosales singled, and redshirt sophomore Ramsey Amador walked before Girod clamped down, striking out a pair and inducing a fielder's choice ground ball that closed the contest.Â
The teams will meet again with a doubleheader set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, ahead of the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
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