Alpine, TX - Texas A&M-Kingsville overmatched and overpowered Sul Ross State, 26-15, in eight innings to get their first series sweep of the season at Kokernot Field on Sunday.
The Javelinas (12-6, 12-6 LSC) scored a Lone Star Conference high 26 runs with 23 hits to take down the Lobos (1-17, 1-17 LSC) in a wild game four of the series.
Cade Minus was incredible for the Hogs in his first career start in the batting order, racking up five hits in six at bats along with his first career home run to blow the game wide open in the seventh.
Minus joined seven other Javelinas to notch multiple hits, as
Joshua Endo would notch four base hits with four RBI's. The 23 total team hits are also a single-game high in the LSC this season; the Javelinas become the only team in the LSC to record multiple 20-hit games.
Minus was not the only one who knocked his first ball out of the park with the Javelinas, as
Nathan Gamez got his first Javelina HR in the second inning as part of a five-run top of the second. Another five runs came across the board for the hogs in the following inning, headlined by a two-RBI double from
Joshua Prado, his second double of the game.
The bats for Sul Ross then opened up in the bottom of the third, as they scored nine runs and ran two Javelina pitchers off of the mound to make it an 11-11 ball game. The Javelinas were able to retake the lead in the top of the fifth, as good plate discipline led to four runs coming across the plate to take a 15-11 lead.
The Lobos answered right back in the bottom of that inning, however
Daniel Cardona was able to limit the damage and protect the one-run lead for the Javelinas. The lead would be reestablished for the Javelinas in the top of the sixth, as RBI's from
Javier Benavides, Prado and
Landon Salinas boosted the lead to 18-14.
Endo put the finishing touches on this game after Minus' HR in the seventh, notching a two-RBI double in the top of the eighth to make it an 11-run lead for the Javelinas.
Sawyer Smith checked in and got the final three outs as the Javelinas crushed Sul Ross State in Alpine.
Texas A&M-Kingsville returns home to Nolan Ryan Field to take on Oklahoma Christian University beginning on Mar. 6. Fans of the Javelinas can watch the game on FloCollege or follow the action at Javelina BSB on X.
