AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's baseball got stellar pitching performances from starters JACK GRANACK and LUKE SHORT, splitting its doubleheader against West Texas A&M. The fourth and final game of the series is on Sunday.
Game 1: West Texas A&M 2, St. Edward's 0
A controversial fielder interference call gave West Texas A&M new life in the top of the seventh, setting up a Patrick Donovan RBI single up the middle for one run and a throwing error for a second in St. Edward's 2-0 loss to West Texas A&M.
The two plays were the lone blemishes in a thrilling pitcher's duel between Granack and Isaac Keehn.
Granack was efficient in his work, recording only three strikeouts but keeping the Buffaloes off balance to induce easy ground outs and fly outs for his defense. Keehn worked both sides of the plate for nine strikeouts with four hits, three walks, and two hit batters. The senior right-hander kept his composure when challenged, leaving nine Hilltopper runners stranded with several in scoring position.
West Texas A&M broke through in the seventh with a one-out walk drawn by Kory Schmidt, leading to the game-winning run. After the walk, Granack caught Schmidt sleeping at first with a pickoff throw leading to a rundown that appeared to net the defense the second out of the inning.
However, the officials ruled a fielder obstructed Schmidt's path, changing the out into a free base at second.
Donovan followed with the RBI on a rocket to second that took an unfortunate hop. Next, Seth Ochoa followed with a single to right, moving Donovan to third. Cutoff man WESTON SYMES tried to throw Ochoa out at first after the latter took a few steps off the back, but the ball got past LANCE LITTLE for the unearned second run.
Game 2: St. Edward's 8, West Texas A&M 1
LUKE SHORT dominated on the mound for St. Edward's, throwing a career-high 12 strikeouts with only one earned run in six innings.
The game had the making of another low-scoring contest, with Short and West Texas A&M's Reese Miller going quickly through the opposing lineups.
St. Edward's struck first in the bottom of the second. Miller opened the inning by retiring the first two hitters, but surrendered an infield single to HUNTER CONNER, then walked Trever Sebek and Symes to load the bases. Next, he hit CARLO FIGUEROA for the second time in two innings to plate St. Edward's first run of the day.
Short six of the next seven West Texas A&M hitters, striking out five, including back-to-back strikeouts to end the fourth.
He opened the fifth inning with a pair of strikeouts but walked Ochoa. Then, West Texas A&M pinch-hit Dylan Fesperman for Dave Janssen, getting an RBI double to right-center to tie the game. Cameron Loy followed with a shot through the gap between first and second that should have scored a go-ahead run, except second baseman KYLER KERLIN made a spectacular diving catch a few steps into the outfielder and threw Loy out at first to end the inning.
The momentum woke St. Edward's bats up in the fifth inning. After CULLEN AINSWORTH popped up to second, Miller hit Little and surrendered a single to Drewek. Catcher LUKE JOHNSON followed with a towering three-run blast to left field to retake the lead.
Conner followed with a double through the left side, ending Miller's afternoon. Brennan Berdon replaced Miller, and Sebek greeted him with a perfectly executed bunt for a single, putting runners on the corners. Symes and Figueroa followed with back-to-back RBI singles, and Kerlin–the ninth hitter in the inning–followed his critical defensive play with an RBI double through the right side for the 7-1 lead.
Short got in a jam in the top of the sixth. Ryan Johnson led off with a double to left-center, followed by back-to-back walks for Adam Becker and Will Fuenning to load the bases with no outs. St. Edward's head baseball coach Bryan Faulds visited Short on the mound and allowed his junior pitcher to work through it. Short rewarded him by striking out the next three hitters to strand all three runners.
BRADY PUTNIK took the mound for West Texas A&M to start the sixth inning and surrendered a leadoff single, followed by two bases and a score on two wild pitches. He walked Johnson and Conner before being replaced by Damon Elarton, who got out of the inning without further damage.
KEVIN SKWERES replaced Short to start the seventh and retired three of the four batters he faced with a strikeout and walk.
The game was Short's first double-digit strikeout effort of the season and the fourth of his St. Edward's career. St. Edward's and West Texas A&M will conclude the series tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
