Box Score AUSTIN, Texas – The St. Edward's baseball team defeated Incarnate Word, 13-7 Monday afternoon at Lucian Hamilton Field. Incarnate Word (1-3) struck first in the third inning when Zac Russell got on base after being hit by a pitch from Tyler Harris (Houston, Texas/Cisco JC). Russell then advanced to third off of a double by Thomas Rinn to right center field.
Derrick Walls then grounded out to second base collecting an RBI as Russell scored, advancing Rinn to third base. This was quickly followed by a wild pitch in which Rinn would score. St. Edward's (3-4) would tie up the game in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs of its own. Taylor Johnson (Dripping Springs, Texas/Dripping Springs HS) was hit by a pitch and then advanced to second off of a single by senior Adam Shank (Sugar Land, Texas/San Jacinto JC).
Ransom LaLonde (Tulsa, Okla./UT-San Antonio) hit a sacrifice bunt to advance both Johnson and Shank. Nate Bobrowski (Jerome Idaho/San Mateo JC) would then collect two RBI, bringing both men in off of a single to right center field. Making the score 2-2. In the fourth inning, the Hilltoppers would complete three straight outs giving the Hilltoppers the momentum to take the lead when at bat. Collin Elmore (Dallas, Texas/Richland College) would get the first homerun of the game by sending the ball flying over the left field fence line.
AJ Hermanson (Georgetown, Texas/Georgetown HS) would then get walked but would not get stranded as Johnson brought them both in off of a homerun to right center field. The Hilltoppers would take the lead 5-2. The Cardinals would try to make a move in the sixth inning, but were only able to secure one run after John Zule hit a double down the right field line and was brought in off of a single to right field hit by Slade Brown, making the score 5-3.
The Hilltoppers answered back by scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth. LaLonde would hit a single and would advance to second as Daniel Homann (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) was walked by Cardinals pitcher Dylan Boss. LaLonde and Homann would both advance off of a wild pitch. Marshall Burford (Austin, Texas/Temple JC) was walked, loading up the bases for the Hilltoppers.
Kyle Harris would then come in to pinch hit and would be walked by Boss allowing LaLonde to score. Elmore would get a piece of the ball hitting a single to center field, collecting two RBIs as he brought in two Hilltoppers and advancing Harris to third. Bases would be loaded again as Hermanson was walked, advancing Elmore to third with Harris still at third. Johnson was also walked advancing everyone allowing Harris to score, making the Hilltopper lead extend to 9-3. Incarnate Word would try and find some magic in the seventh inning by scoring two runs when Russell hit a homer to left center field bringing in another teammate.
Russell would repeat this action in the eighth inning by securing two more runs for the Cardinals collected his second homerun of the game, closing in on the Hilltopper lead making the score 9-7. St. Edward's did not stop here though and scored four more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Elmore was again walked and then advanced to second as Hermanson hit a single to the pitcher. Johnson then reached on a fielder's choice as Hermanson was out at second and Elmore advanced to third. Shank was then walked loading the bases for the Hilltoppers. LaLonde was then hit by the pitch giving the Hilltoppers another point as Elmore scored. With bases still loaded Max Minor (Austin, Texas/Blinn JC), who came in for Homann in the sixth, hit a single to left field allowing Johnson to score. Bobrowski then singled through the right side collecting two more RBI as Shank and LaLonde scored, making it 13-7.
Hilltoppers would follow with three quick outs in the top of the ninth securing the win over the Cardinals, 13-7. Stephen Johnson (Boulder, Colo./Boulder HS) came on in relief to pick up the save getting the last four outs. He struck out four of the five batters he faced and now has 11 punch outs in just 5.0 innings of work. Leader for the Cardinals was Russell who collected four RBIs along with two homeruns.
Leaders for St. Edward's included Bobrowski who collected four RBIs, followed by Elmore and Johnson who each collected three. St. Edward's will be back in action tomorrow as they host Texas Wesleyan for a single game that will kick off at 1:30p.m.
