AUSTIN, Texas — Opportunity knocked late at Lucian-Hamilton Field, but the Hilltoppers couldn't answer.

St. Edward's loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth and came away empty, then put two on to open the ninth but scratched across just one run, as St. Mary's held on for a 10-5 win to open a battle of the top two teams in the Lone Star Conference standings.

For a team that has made a habit of late-inning swings, Friday's opener flipped the script.

After trading early punches, the Hilltoppers looked every bit like the league's top offense in the second inning. A patient approach set the table before CONNOR COX flipped the game with a two-run triple to the gap, and Nic Ruedas followed with an RBI double to cap a four-run frame and a 4-1 lead.

But the momentum proved fleeting.

St. Mary's chipped away in the third before capitalizing on timely hitting in the fourth to reclaim the lead at 5-4. The Rattlers then delivered the decisive blow in the seventh, stringing together five runs — highlighted by a leadoff home run and a flurry of RBI hits — to create separation the Hilltoppers couldn't fully erase.

Still, the door never fully closed.

Down six entering the eighth, St. Edward's manufactured one of its best chances of the afternoon without recording a hit — a walk, another free pass, and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with no outs. But a pop-up and back-to-back flyouts stranded all three runners, a missed opportunity that loomed large as the game slipped into the ninth.

The Hilltoppers mounted one final push.

BEN MERRIMAN worked his third walk of the day, and Cox followed with a single to bring the tying run to the plate with no outs. A sacrifice fly from BOSTON LEE plated a run, but that would be all, as St. Mary's closed it out to take the opener.

Cox led the offense with a 2-for-4 day, driving in two and finishing with a triple and a single. Ruedas added an RBI double, while Merriman reached base four times and scored twice.

On the mound, CAMDEN WHITE was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs over 3.2 innings, while the bullpen steadied late behind JACOB GLAZENER's two scoreless frames to keep the Hilltoppers within striking distance.

In a matchup worthy of its billing atop the conference standings, the margins were thin, and on Friday, they all tilted toward the visitors.

Game two of the four-game set awaits, with the Hilltoppers looking to turn missed chances into momentum.