Photo Gallery vs. STMU

BELTON, Texas – St. Edward's Baseball opened its Heartland Conference Tournament with a postseason version of the Battle of the Saints, and the rivalry exceeded expectations as the Hilltoppers outlasted St. Mary's, 9-8 on Thursday afternoon at Red Murff Field on the campus of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
 
The three-hour, 45-minute marathon featured 29 hits, four home runs, and 11 pitchers used between both teams. NICK LERICK and JOSEPH OLSON claimed St. Edward's share of the home runs with a solo shot for Lerick, and a three-run bomb for Olson. Lerick finished his day 3-for-5 with a pair of runs, and two RBI. Olson led the team in RBI with three. WESLEY HARRIS, ROMEO CORTINA, KEVIN MAYO, and NATE TURNER all had multiple-hit outings as well.
 
On the mound, it was a platoon-like team effort that got the Hilltoppers the win. ERIC HESTER made the start, but would not factor in the decision. STUART SPRINGER earned the win in relief and moves to 9-1 on the season. VINNY WHITENIGHT, JUAN CORTINA, and CAM HATCH ate up the middle innings while ANDREW BOES came on for his second save of the year.
 
The Hilltoppers are now 41-10, and riding a 10-game winning streak. They have also won 17 of their last 18 games, and six straight against the Rattlers.  St. Mary's falls to 31-20, and falls into the elimination bracket of the tournament. Another loss will be season ending for the Rattlers.
 
"Well, it's not the way you think the first game will go when you have two aces going, but you can't predict it either," said head coach Rob Penders. "They're a tough team. We beat them three times earlier this year, and getting the fourth is tough to do against a quality team like St. Mary's. We're happy to survive, and happy to win it. Our guys came up with big hits, and our pitchers did a good enough job to hold it down. Boes was outstanding at the end, and we're happy to advance."
 
Despite Hester bringing the seventh-best earned-run average in the country into the game, it was the bats of St. Mary's that struck first. Hard-hitting Jack Kaiser, the first baseman for the Rattlers, sent a rocket over the right-field fence in the top of the second. However, St. Mary's 1-0 lead would not last long.
 
GABLE WHITACRE led off the bottom half with a walk. Lerick followed with a single to right-center field, and Mayo tied the game with a RBI-single to center. A single from Harris set the table for Olson. St. Edward's catcher stepped to the plate, and worked a 3-2 count before sending the ball over the fence down the left-field line.
 
The Hilltoppers would need all the runs they could get as St. Mary's chipped away at the 5-1 lead. Runs for the Rattlers in the third, fourth, and fifth innings pulled them within one of St. Edward's.
 
Lerick hit his solo homer in the fifth to give the host team a two-run cushion. Another three runs in the sixth made the score 9-4. DYLAN WATTS, Arrowood, and Whitacre all took advantage of one Rattler error to help extend the lead.
 
Each run for the Hilltoppers proved critical as St. Mary's stormed back into the game. The Rattlers scored two in the seventh, and two more in the eighth to make it 9-8. However, Boes' shutdown pitching in the eighth and ninth took the wind out of St. Mary's sails.
 
Coach Penders and his team now face the winner of the game between No. 2-seeded Lubbock Christian and No. 3-seeded Oklahoma Christian. The second-round game is set to start at 3:30 following the losers bracket contest. Fans can come out and watch at Red Murff Field in Belton, Texas, or follow online at GoHilltoppers.com.