AUSTIN, Texas –The 14
th-ranked St. Edward's Baseball team fell to No. 20 St. Mary's in both games of Friday's doubleheader in San Antonio. Coming into today's contest, both teams were tied atop the Heartland Conference standings.
Game 1In a monumental Battle of the Saints matchup, both St. Edward's (27-10, 13-4 HC), and St. Mary's (28-8, 15-2 HC) put their ace on the mound. Hilltopper
COLLIN SHERROD, and Rattler Matt McClain would get the call, and embark on what would be an unforgettable pitching duel.
Sherrod threw 8.1 scoreless innings, while allowing eight hits and tallying five strikeouts. His counterpart would last 10 innings while giving up five hits and striking out eight batters.
Both bullpens would continue the scoreless battle, as the game moved into the 11th inning. In the top of the 11
th, Hilltoppers
NATE TURNER would make his way to third base, only to be left stranded after
J.D. ARROWOOD struck out for the inning's final out.
In the bottom of the inning, the Rattlers capitalized, when Bryce Brandl singled down the right field line, scoring Scott Jones from second base, to take game one, 1-0.
Game 2 In game two, both offenses came to life, as the Hilltoppers fell 9-6, in another thrilling Battle of the Saints matchup.
After a five-run third highlighted by a grand slam by
GABLE WHITACRE, the Hilltoppers tacked on an additional run in the fourth to open up a 6-0 lead over St. Mary's.
The Rattlers would battle their way back, and then some, as they scored nine unanswered runs, taking a 9-6 lead into the seventh inning.
The Hilltoppers, who refused to go down quietly, managed to load the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh inning. Unfortunately, St. Edward's could not manage to bring a Hilltopper home, falling in the second game of the doubleheader.
Designated hitter,
GABLE WHITACRE produced four RBI in the game, while
A.J. HERMANSON and Turner both tallied two hits.
The Hilltoppers will look for revenge tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. as they close out the Battle of the Saints series in San Antonio. Live coverage can be found via the Rattler Athletic Website.
