AUSTIN, Texas — KADE NATHMAN announced his arrival on the college scene with authority, launching a grand slam in the decisive fourth inning to propel the Hilltoppers to a 19-5 win in Game 1 of a four-game series over UT Permian Basin.
Trailing 4-0 after a Falcons' third-inning surge and down 5-2 entering the top of the fourth, St. Edward's turned patience into pressure and pressure into production. Walks piled up, mistakes compounded, and then came the swing that broke the game open — a four-run blast from Nathman that highlighted a 10-run inning fueled by discipline and opportunism.
By the time the dust settled, the Hilltoppers sent 16 batters to the plate in the inning, flipping the early deficit into a 12-5 advantage in the blink of an eye. At the center of it was the Hilltoppers' sophomore centerfielder, hitting 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, five RBI, and two runs in his first collegiate start.
That's the Hilltopper way at its most relentless, not just scoring, but sustaining. Not just answering, but avalanching.
NICO RUEDAS added to the scoring binge with his own career game, finishing a home run shy of the cycle with five RBI, including a two-run double to tie the game in the fourth before the inning unraveled completely for UTPB.
While several Hilltoppers made loud contributions,
BEN MERRIMAN was a silent assassin from the leadoff spot in St. Edward's reconfigured lineup. The homegrown outfielder scored three runs without recording an official at-bat, drawing six of St. Edward's walks.
Once the Hilltoppers grabbed control, they didn't loosen their grip.
CONNOR COX delivered a two-run double in the sixth as part of a six-run frame, while Ruedas followed with an RBI triple, and Jackson Shofield added another run-scoring single to put the lead to 17-5. By the end of the inning, it stretched to 19-5, safely in run-rule territory.
On the mound,
CAMDEN WHITE steadied things after some early turbulence, working 6.1 innings with three strikeouts in the win.
LIAM MILLER closed the door cleanly out of the bullpen.
It wasn't a perfect start for the Hilltoppers, but it was a powerful one—and an auspicious beginning for Nathman. Because this lineup doesn't need perfection. It just needs an opening. And once it finds one, it doesn't just walk through it — it runs.
