AUSTIN, Texas – A pair of newcomers to St. Edward's Baseball took on the role of hero as ANDREW BOES and JUAN CORTINA made brilliant relief appearances in game two on Friday to help the Hilltoppers clinch a doubleheader sweep over St. Mary's. St. Edward's took game one, 12-4 and game two, 6-5.
 
Boes pitched 2.1 innings, and only allowed one run on one hit with five strikeouts. Cortina came on for the final two outs, and earned his fourth save of the season with a strikeout and a fly out to his brother ROMEO CORTINA. ERIC HESTER was also fantastic on the mound in game one. He pitched a complete game with six strikeouts and four runs on seven hits. Hester earned his sixth win with the performance while CAMERON STANTON earned his seventh with a six-inning start in game two.
 
At the plate, NATE TURNER was not put out once in game two, finishing the day a combined 4-for-6 with two runs and three RBI. JOSEPH OLSON also came up big by going 4-for-7 with a double and a triple, and three runs. ROMEO CORTINA turned in a pair of doubles while HUNTER COURSON and NICK LERICK both homered for the Hilltoppers.
 
St. Edward's is now 30-9 overall and 13-4 in the Heartland Conference. The team is tied for first in the league with Lubbock Christian. St. Mary's falls to 23-16 and 9-8.
 
"To get two wins against them anytime is great. We'll take it any way we can get it," said head coach Rob Penders. "The first one was a comeback game, and it was good for us to do that. The second game could be viewed that way too, but it was a tighter game. Nick (Lerick) came in with another home run, gave us a little buffer, and got us the win. We played great baseball and it's a good thing to roll into tomorrow."
 
Game One: St. Edward's 12 St. Mary's 4
 
Early on, St. Mary's showed it was not a team to be taken lightly. The Rattlers scored an unearned run in the first to take a 1-0 lead, and then three more in the second to take a 4-2 lead.
 
However, the Hilltopper bats proved to be too much. St. Edward's took the lead in the bottom of the first thanks to a balk, and an RBI-double from J.D. ARROWOOD. Then, the home team retook the lead with a seven-run third inning. The first run came off of a hit-by-pitch RBI to GABLE WHITACRE, and KEVIN MAYO followed up with an RBI-single to right. Turner kept it going with a two-RBI single through the left side, and Arrowood plated a pair of runs with a double to left. ROMEO CORTINA capped the scoring in the third with a sacrifice fly to center field.
 
Harris drove in Turner and Mayo in the fourth as insurance. Courson put the cherry on top with his home run in the sixth.
 
Game Two: St. Edward's 6 St. Mary's 5
 
The second game, while much closer, was another display of the Hilltoppers' offensive prowess. Despite St. Mary's scoring first on a two-run homer in the second, St. Edward's responded with two runs of its own in the bottom of the frame.
 
Mayo hammered a RBI-ground ball to make it 2-1, and Turner tied the game at two with another RBI single. However, the Rattlers regained the lead with a run in the third.
 
The visitor's advantage was short-lived. ROMEO CORTINA doubled in the fifth to score Olson, and tied the game at three. DYLAN WATTS gave his team the lead with a single to left-center field, bringing in Arrowood. Courson made it a two-run cushion by driving Cortina in with a single of his own.
 
St. Mary's gained one run back in the sixth, but Lerick came to the plate in the eighth to provide insurance. The senior designated hitter launched his second pinch-hit home run in as many appearances over the left-field fence to make it 6-4. A run in the ninth for St. Mary's made the final tally, but did not change the result.
 
Coach Penders and his team look to complete the series sweep on Saturday. Impending weather has moved the start time to 12 p.m. at Lucian-Hamilton Field with tailgating to begin at 11 a.m. Fans should be sure to monitor GoHilltoppers.com and social media for potential changes due to the weather. Live stats and video will be available on the Hilltopper Athletics Website.