AUSTIN, Texas – In a game of wild swings and occasionally wild pitching, the St. Edward's Hilltoppers baseball team prevailed over Texas-Tyler with a 10-9 victory to take three of four games this weekend.
St. Edward's roughed up UT-Tyler starter Nolan Cox for four runs in the first inning, batting through the entire lineup. The Patriot starter was his own worst enemy early, walking TREVOR SEBEK and CONNOR COX to start the game, then surrendering a LANCE LITTLE single through the left side to load the bases.
Nolan Cox then hit CULLEN AINSWORTH to score Sebek, followed by an RBI single through the left side from LUKE JOHNSON. JOSH GRAHAM capped off the scoring run with a two-RBI single to center field.
After both teams went scoreless in the second and third innings, UT-Tyler erupted for six runs in the fourth to take the lead.
St. Edward's starting pitcher LUKE NEGRETE walked Jordan Gochenour to lead off the inning, then surrendered back-to-back singles. Austin Ochoa drove the ball through the left side for the first hit, then Ethan Bedgood lined it to left field for a single that turned into an extra base and a run on an error in the outfield.
Then, Lane Hutchinson grounded to WESTON SYMES at shortstop, who caught Ochoa in a rundown between third and home. However, Ainsworth made a throwing error from home to third to score Ochoa. Adrian Minjares drew a walk to load the bases, then Bedgood scored on a wild pitch.
Kaston Mason followed with an RBI single through the left side, ending Negrete's day. The 6-foot-4 junior finished with three strikeouts, three walks, and five of six runs surrendered earned on four hits. JACK ENGELMANN replaced Negrete on the mound, hit Nathan Carriere, and yielded a two-RBI single to left field–with both runs attributed to Negrete–before getting out of the inning.
St. Edward's earned a run back in the bottom of the inning with back-to-back hits from Little and Ainsworth with two outs. First, little singled up the middle, then Ainsworth drove him in with a double to right field.
Cade Maclin replaced Cox on the mound to start the bottom of the fifth and MATTHEW GILES sparked the Hilltoppers with a one-out single up the middle. Texas-Tyler's pitching unraveled after that. Maclin walked HUNTER CONNER and Symes to load the bases, leaving the game with Harrison Lee replacing him on the mound.
Lee walked Sebek to score Giles to tie the game, then surrendered the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by CONNOR COX to centerfield. Then, Lee hit Little and Ainsworth consecutively to score another run and walked Johnson for another. Julio Garcia replaced Lee, then walked Graham to score Little before getting out of the inning with St. Edward's leading 10-6.
BLAKE DONNAN started the sixth on the mound for the Hilltoppers and struggled. After striking out Cox to start the inning, Donnan walked Van de Sanden, Gochenour singled, then both advanced, and Van de Sanden scored on two separate wild pitches. Then, Ochoa singled through the left side to score Gochenour, ending Donnan's afternoon. NICOLAS DAVIS replaced Donnan, and Bedgood grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.
The Patriots opened the top of the seventh with back-to-back hits, getting a leadoff single from Hutchinson and an RBI double down the left-field line from Minjares. Davis struck out Mason for the first out of the inning, and then Graham saved a run with a leaping grab on a line drive to left, coming down with the ball barely hanging in his glove. Davis ended the inning by striking out Cox.
A.J. Irvin replaced Garcia on the mound to start the seventh for the Patriots, and the defense backed him up with a 6-4-3 double play and a groundout to first. AUSTIN ESSEX took the mound to start the eighth for St. Edward's, and the defense produced a three-up, three-down inning.
Essex gave up two singles and got one out to start the ninth. KEVIN SKWERES replaced him and Dyland Blomquist drove a ball to deep right field for a second out that advanced Ryan Lambert to third, putting runners in the corners. Minjares stole second, putting both runners in scoring position, and Carriere walked to load the bases. However, Skweres kept his composure and struck out Cox to pick up the save.
St. Edward's produced 10 hits and 10 walks and were hit by pitches three times. The Hilltoppers improve to 19-6 with a 17-6 conference record. St. Edward's will travel to play Arkansas Forth Smith next weekend.
