GOODWELL, Okla. – St. Edward's Baseball takes over sole possession of first place in the Heartland Conference following a doubleheader sweep against Panhandle State, and a Lubbock Christian loss on Friday afternoon. The Hilltoppers took game one 9-0, and game two, 16-2.
 
While a number of Hilltoppers turned in quality performances, the most impressive may have been ERIC HESTER. The senior pitcher started game one, and used just 47 pitches to complete the seven-inning, shutout victory. He only threw six balls, gave up two hits, struck out four, and faced the minimum number of batters, 21, thanks to a pair of double plays. Hester is now 7-2. CAMERON STANTON earned a win as well in game two, throwing five innings with five strikeouts to improve to 8-1.
 
At the plate, WESLEY HARRIS, NICK LERICK, J.D. ARROWOOD, DYLAN WATTS, and RYAN PULSIFER all batted over .500. The five Hilltoppers combined to score 10 runs and drive in 13. ROMEO CORTINA hit his 10^th home run of the season, and finished the day with a team-high five RBI. Over the last 10 games, St. Edward's has outscored its opponents 118-36, and posted a combined batting average of .403.
 
St. Edward's overall record is now 33-10, and now holds a one-game lead over Lubbock Christian in the Heartland Conference standings at 16-4. Panhandle State falls to 5-37 and 1-19.
 
"Eric's outing was something I've never seen in all my years of baseball," said head coach Rob Penders. "He threw less balls than innings he pitched. I've been a part of no hitters where the pitcher was less in command. Facing the minimum over seven innings, on less than 50 pitches, is probably something I'll never see again. He was very impressive, just as our bats were all day. We have one more to take care of tomorrow, and then head back to Texas."
 
Game One: St. Edward's 9, Panhandle State 0
 
Despite a slow start on offense, St. Edward's did not disappoint in the opening contest of the series. The visitors struck first in the opening frame on an RBI-single from Watts, but did not score for the next two innings.
 
However, in the top of the fourth, the Hilltoppers blew things wide open. NATE TURNER hit a two-RBI single to center field, scoring KEVIN MAYO and Lerick. Then, Harris picked Turner up with an RBI-single of his own to make it 4-0.
 
Another run in the fifth came off the bat of Lerick to make it 5-0, and a quartet of runs in the sixth capped off the scoring. JOSEPH OLSON, Arrowood, Cortina, and Lerick all tallied hits in the final inning of scoring.
 
Game Two: St. Edward's 16, Panhandle State 2
 
What took the Hilltoppers six innings to accomplish in game one, only took them two innings in the second half of the twin bill. A three-run first inning, and a six-run second inning helped St. Edward's match its run total from game one in just a fraction of the time. Cortina chipped in on the scoring with a three-run home run, and Arrowood, Watts, GABLE WHITACRE, and Lerick all drove in runs as well.
 
The Aggies held St. Edward's at bay in the third, but the Hilltoppers were right back at it in the fourth. They scored four more runs on just a pair of hits to make it 13-0. Watts, Mayo, Whitacre, and Turner all came across the plate for St. Edward's.
 
Panhandle State broke up the shutout in the fifth with a two-run double. However, it was just a single drop of water compared to the Hilltoppers' offensive monsoon. They scored three more runs on three hits in the sixth. It was Pulsifer, STEVEN ROBERTSON, and Watts scoring Mayo, MILES WRIGHT, and Harris for the final tally.
 
Coach Penders and his squad will conclude the series on Saturday with a scheduled nine-inning game starting at 12 p.m. Live stats will be available through GoHilltoppers.com.