AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's Baseball completed its first four-game sweep of the season on Sunday with a 5-2 victory over Drury. The Hilltoppers are now winners of eight straight games.
 
ERIC HESTER made his second start of the season on the mound, and turned in a stellar performance. The senior ground out seven innings of work with six strikeouts, and only gave up one run on four hits. CAM HATCH made is first save of the season in a two-inning appearance with six strikeouts.
 
At the plate, ROMEO CORTINA fueled the Hilltopper offense with two runs and two RBI on a pair of doubles. HUNTER COURSON also delivered a multi-hit performance with two doubles as well. JOSEPH OLSON, GABLE WHITACRE, and J.D. ARROWOOD all scored a run in the win.
 
On the weekend, St. Edward's produced 28 runs in four games, and held the Panthers to eight. The Hilltoppers are now 10-3, marking their best start to a season since 2008. Drury opens the season 0-4.
 
"A sweep was the goal today," said head coach Rob Penders. "It's tough to get a sweep against anybody, but a good team like that makes it extra special. It was good to do, and hopefully it will set us on the road to keep doing that while we're at home."
 
The Hilltoppers scored first in all three previous games, and Sunday was no different. In the bottom of the first, Whitacre hit a leadoff single, and Olson took a pitch off the side to put two runners on with no outs.  Cortina immediately cashed in with his first double of the day to left field. Whitacre scored, and Olson ended up on third. A wild pitch brought the catcher in to make it 2-0, St. Edward's.
 
However, after a 10-1 outburst on Saturday, followed by a quick start in the first inning, the home team's bats took an ice bath. The Hilltoppers only managed two hits over the next four innings, and Drury grabbed a run in the top of the sixth; but Cortina quickly broke the offensive dry spell.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, the redshirt junior reached on a walk, and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. With the defense concerned about a bunt from NICK LERICK, Cortina swiped third. DYLAN WATTS finished the sequence with a double to left-center field.
 
Springer cruised into the seventh with a 3-1 lead, and threw three pitches for three outs to keep the Panthers quiet. In the bottom of the eighth, the home team added two more runs of insurance off of another Cortina double, and a single from Harris.
 
Hatch performed in typical fashion. The senior struck out two in the eighth, and brushed off a run in the ninth with a strikeout to clinch the save.
 
In the series, St. Edward's hit .317 as a team while Drury only managed a batting average of .177. All four starters for the Hilltoppers earned wins, and posted a combined earned-run average of 1.59 while averaging over a strikeout per inning.
 
Coach Penders and his team continue their home stand next weekend with a four-game series against Long Island University-Post (LIU). Friday's nine-inning game is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. with live stats and video at GoHilltoppers.com.