FORT SMITH, Ark. - The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team clinched the series against the Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions on Saturday afternoon with a pair of victories in the doubleheader, winning game one 6-5 and game two 5-0.
The Javelinas (16-13, 14-13 LSC) move above .500 both in conference and overall with the three-game win streak. The Lions (12-11, 12-11 LSC) drop their second series of their last three.
GAME ONE
The Hogs got the party started right off the bat in the first inning as
Jacob Rosales knocked through a triple to right-center field to score
Dalton Kramer, who opened the inning with a double.
Ramsey Amador followed up two batters later with a single up the middle, bringing home Rosales.
Seth Brecheen tacked on the third run of the inning with a double to left-center to help Amador across the home plate.
Three innings later, the Lions evened the score with three runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth, then taking the lead with one run in the sixth inning, 4-3. The Javelinas came up to the plate in the final inning needing one run to even the score. They got that and more.
Jake Chapman picked up the tying RBI with a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Kramer across the plate once more. Amador followed up immediately to add two more RBIs to his total for the game, blasting a homer to right-center to give the Hogs a 6-4 lead.
The Lions attempted a response with their last three outs, bringing one run home with only one out and two runners still on base, threatening a walk-off. The Javelinas, however, saw off the threat immediately, turning a double play on the next batter up to secure the win.
Matt Vasquez (2-0) grabs credit for the win for TAMUK while
Jose Gonzalez picks up his first save of the year. Luke Davenport (5-2) is pegged with the loss for the Lions.
GAME TWO
Getting rolling early once again in game two, the Javelinas knocked in a run apiece in the second and third innings to open the game, 2-0.
Garrett Thompson picked up the first RBI of the game for the Javelinas with a sacrifice fly to center field to score
Collin Young. In the third,
Kyle Perales scored the Hogs' second run with a single to center to score Rosales.
Two more Javelina runs crossed the plate in the fifth inning. Kramer came home once again off a throwing error by the Lion pitcher with Rosales at the plate. Rosales similarly brought himself home three batters later thanks to a throwing error by third base during a Young at-bat.
The Javelina defense stayed rock solid throughout, keeping the Lions scoreless through all seven innings as the Hogs added one more run to the tally in the sixth. Kramer batted a single to left field to score Thompson to bring the game to its final score of 5-0.
Colton Taylor (2-3) is credited with the win for the Javelinas while Riley Lowry (1-1) is credited with the loss for the Lions.
With the series in hand, the Hogs and the Lions will meet one more time on Sunday afternoon for game four with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
