Kingsville - Texas A&M-Kingsville used a late surge to power itself to a 8-4 victory over UT-Permian Basin Friday at Nolan Ryan Field.
The Javelinas (6-4, 5-4 LSC) scored five runs in their final two innings to down the Falcons (2-7, 2-7 LSC) in game one of the four-game series. It is also the Javelinas fourth win in a row and their third straight game with 10-or-more hits.
Niko Garcia picked up the win after going three innings with two strikeouts with just three hits and an earned run. Tyler Schuman picked up his first save of the season after being called into the game in the eight, facing six batters and retiring all six with a strikeout to go with it.
After falling behind in the top of the seventh after an RBI single from UTPB, Texas A&M-Kingsville responded in kind with two runs of its own. After
Joshua Endo got on base with a fielder's choice bunt to third base,
Isaiah Aguilar advanced him to third with a single into right field.
Vincent Sanchez paid it off with a SAC RBI, his 16th RBI of the season, and the Javelinas knotted it up at four.Â
To get the lead, it started with Aguilar stealing second base to put himself in scoring position.
Jacob Cueva would bring Aguilar with an RBI single down the left side and the Hogs would retake the lead at 5-4.
The late surge would not end there, as the Javelinas scored three more runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Sergio Galvan Jr. would walk on a 4-0 count to get on base, then would steal second from a poor throw from the catcher.
Jayden Martinez advanced Galvan to third with a single to center field and
Maurice Martinez would load the bases with the second walk of the inning. Endo got the scoring started with an SAC RBI that got Galvan home, then Aguilar cleared the bases with a two-RBI single into right field that got the Hogs their four-run lead.
Schuman would put the finishing touches on the first game with a near-perfect inning, throwing just nine pitches in the top of the ninth and retiring the final three batters for the Falcons as the Javelinas secured the first win of the series.
Games two and three are set for tomorrow with the first pitch for game two being set for 2:00 p.m. CST. Fans of the Javelinas can watch live on FloCollege or follow live coverage at JavelinaBSB on Twitter.
