AUSTIN, Texas – HUNTER COURSON hit the first grand slam of his career Saturday as St. Edward's baseball defeated Oklahoma Christian in a 14-2, run-rule victory.
 
Courson's home run was his only hit of the day. GABLE WHITACRE went 3-for-4 with five RBI on two home runs and a triple. JACOB VASQUEZ also went 3-for-4 and scored two runs.
 
On the mound, BALLARD INFANTE (3-2) collected the win behind 12 strikeouts over six innings of five-hit, two-run baseball. RYAN HILL contributed one inning of flawless relief.
 
St. Edward's (21-12, 8-4 Heartland) jumps into a tie for second place in the league standings. Oklahoma Christian (18-16, 5-7 Heartland) falls to seventh in the conference.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Whitacre took his first pitch of the game over the left-field netting to give St. Edward's a 2-0 lead in the opening frame.
• WILLIAM HAIRSTON made it 4-0 with a two-run double in the second inning.
• Oklahoma Christian chipped away at the lead with single runs in the third and fourth frames.
• Cortina and Whitacre added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings with a RBI-bunt single and a solo home run, respectively.
• The Hilltoppers exploded for eight runs in the seventh inning, capped by Courson's grand slam to end the game.

 
HILLTOPPER NOTES

• St. Edward's is 16-10 in the all-time series against Oklahoma Christian.
• ROMEO CORTINA extended his hitting streak to 15 games.
• The Hilltoppers have scored 10 or more runs in 10 games this season.

 
QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH ROB PENDERS
"This is huge. You have to win series at home, no doubt. On the road you need to win one game at least, but you have to win at home to compete, and we were able to do that today. Ballard (Infante) pitched well, our guys competed a lot better at the plate, especially with two strikes."
 
UP NEXT
St. Edward's heads to conference-leading Lubbock Christian for a three-game series, opening with a doubleheader Thursday at 4 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at GoHilltoppers.com.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: #24 St. Edward's 14, Oklahoma Christian 2 (7 innings)
Records: St. Edward's (21-12, 8-4 Heartland), Oklahoma Christian (18-16, 5-7 Heartland)
W – Infante (3-2) L – Collins (0-2)
Attendance: 157
 
For the latest information on the St. Edward's University Baseball team, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @SEUBaseball, or visit us at www.GoHilltoppers.com.