ODESSA, Texas – TRAVIS CHESTNUT broke out with a five-RBI performance to help St. Edward's baseball bounce back from a 4-0 deficit to defeat Texas Permian Basin 16-5 in eight innings to sweep the Falcons.
 
Texas Permian Basin did most of its damage in the second inning, scoring four runs on five hits. Taylor McDaniel hit a leadoff double to left-center, Jose Salcedo moved him over with a sac bunt, and McDaniel scored on a wild pitch. 
 
Wiki DeLeon and Makai DeSoto followed with back-to-back doubles, scoring another run. After St. Edward's starter, Carson Blakely, walked Andrew Prado, the Hilltoppers turned to BEN SMEDSHAMMER out of the bullpen. Kaleb Scull greeted Smedshammer with an RBI double, and Jack Haggerty hit an RBI single before St. Edward's got out of the inning. 
 
Chestnut cut the deficit in half in the third, hitting a two-out, two-run home run to left field, scoring GRAYSON THALLMAN, who reached on a double. 
 
After Smedshammer retired the side in order in the third, striking out two, NICHOLAS ANDERSON hit a two-run blast in the fourth to tie the game. St. Edward's followed with three consecutive singles, with Chestnut driving in TREVOR SEBEK and Thallman to take the lead. DYLAN TATE followed with a two-run home run down the left-field line in the fifth to go up 8-4. 
 
Texas Permian Basin converted a leadoff single from McDaniel in the sixth into another run, moving him over on a sac bunt and scoring him with a DeSoto RBI single. 
 
Anderson responded with a two-RBI single in the seventh, and St. Edward's exploded for six runs on five hits in the eighth. 
 
Sebek and Chestnut opened the inning with back-to-back doubles, scoring Sebek on Chestnut's opposite-field double. CONNOR COX drew a walk, Chestnut stole third, and CARLO FIGUEROA scored the latter on a sac fly. Later in the inning, EVAN MUHLBERGER hit an RBI single pinch-hitting for KHAMANI BLAKNEY, and Anderson added another two RBI with a single to center field. JEREMY HILL ended the scoring run with an RBI on a fielder's choice for the 16-5 lead. 
 
FINN MIGNEREY replaced Smedshammer to start the eighth and surrendered a leadoff walk and single before retiring the next three. 
 
Smedshammer (2-0) went 5.2 innings with three strikeouts, no walks, and one run surrendered in the win. Chestnut and Anderson combined to hit 6-for-9 with 11 RBI and three runs scored. 
 
St. Edward's improves to 14-3 with a 13-3 conference record after earning its 10th consecutive win. The Hilltoppers will return home for a big series against No. 7-ranked UT Tyler (12-2) next weekend.