Box Score FORT WORTH, Texas – The St. Edward's baseball team came out with a win as they defeated Texas Wesleyan Tuesday afternoon, 4-3, at LaGrave Field. Texas Wesleyan (30-14) would secure the first run of the game in the bottom of the third as Jake Howeth was brought home off of a double by Justin Barnes. St. Edward's (23-9) would get off to a late start as they struggled to get hits against the Rams pitcher, but they would finally connect in the top of the sixth.
Wes Koenig (Austin, Texas/Hill JC) got on hitting a single up the middle. Marshall Burford (Austin, Texas/Temple JC) hit a sacrifice bunt to advance Koenig to second. Ransom LaLonde (Tulsa, Okla./UT-San Antonio) came in as a pinch hitter and reached on a fielding error.
With Koenig now on third Colin Elmore (Dallas, Texas/Richland CC) singled to center field collecting an RBI as Koenig scored. With the game tied 1-1, the Hilltoppers would take the lead in the seventh as they collected two runs. Taylor Johnson (Dripping Springs, Texas/Dripping Springs HS) singled to left field and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kyle Harris (Layton, Utah/Clarendon JC).
Adam Shank (Sugar Land, Texas/San Jacinto JC) followed with a triple bringing in T. Johnson. Shank would then score on a wild pitch giving the Hilltoppers the upper hand with a 3-1 lead. The Rams, answered back by tying up the game, 3-3, when they secured two runs of their own in the seventh, but St. Edward's would stop them there. In the eighth inning the Hilltoppers would secure their last run as Will McCaleb (Houston, Texas/Blinn JC) got on off of a single, advanced to second off a sacrifice bunt from Elmore, and was brought home by Nate Bobrowski (Jerome, Idaho/San Mateo JC) as he hit a single to right center.
The Hilltoppers would only allow two hits by the Rams in the remaining innings. The game would end 4-3 in favor of the Hilltoppers. Leaders for St. Edward's included Shank, Elmore and Bobrowski who each collected an RBI. Paul Smith (Austin, Texas/McNeil HS) had a good game pitching five innings allowing only four hits, one run, one error, and one strikeout. Ross Speed (Austin, Texas/Baylor) would collect the win and Stephen Johnson (Boulder, Colo./Boulder HS) would get the save as he pitched two innings allowing just two hits while striking out five.
St. Edward's will be back in action this weekend as they host UT-Permian Basin for a three-game series. Friday's doubleheader is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Lucian-Hamilton Field. The two teams will also square off in a single game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
