April 27, 2012
Final Stats
LAREDO, Texas - With their playoff hopes on the line, the Texas A&M International University baseball team was swept by no. 2 St. Mary's University 15-11 and 9-2 in Friday's doubleheader at Jorge Haynes Field.
The losses drop the Dustdevils to 13-19 in conference play 3 ½ games behind Arkansas Fort-Smith, who split their series opening doubleheader with UT-Permian Basin. With only four games remaining in the season, the Dustdevils must win out the rest of their remaining games while Arkansas Fort-Smith must go 0-4 in order for TAMIU to reach the postseason.
GAME ONE:
Game one featured plenty of offense with St. Mary's picking up 17 hits, while TAMIU finished with 16. The Dustdevils trailed 7-6 after seven innings, but the Rattlers exploded for eight runs in the eighth to put the game out of reach. Seven Dustdevil hitters finished with double-digit hits, but the home team failed to take advantage of two key opportunities. TAMIU loaded up the bases with one away in both the third and fourth innings, but failed to score a single run after grounding into double plays. The Dustdevils stranded 11 total base runners and committed a season high six errors which led to seven unearned runs.
TAMIU used a total of five pitchers in game one, with the loss going to Danny Alejandro who dropped to 1-5 on the season. Alejandro went 3.0 innings giving up four runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and a walk.
GAME TWO:
In the late game, Rattlers pitcher Rene Solis kept the Dustdevils at bay striking out twelve hitters and allowing only two runs (one earned) on ten hits in a complete game effort.
The Rattlers score five runs in the first two innings, highlighted by a two run home courtesy of Billy Richard in the second.
The Dustdevils capitalized on an error by the St. Mary's shortstop in the third to score their first run of the game, but the Rattlers would tack on four more runs over the next three innings to end any hope of a comeback.
Grant Garrett led off the TAMIU ninth with a double and was brought around to score on a Jaron Shimmel RBI single. The Dustdevils picked up two more hits to load the bases, but Korey Gosselin was struck out looking to end the game.
Marty Bigham took the loss for TAMIU dropping to 4-3 on the season after allowing five runs on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout in 2.0 innings of work. Ryan Maldonado come on in relief giving up three runs on three hits in 3.0 innings, while Stephen Dickerson finished out the game allowing one run on three hits in 4.0 innings.
The senior day series finale will get underway Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m., with the men's basketball Heartland Conference Championship ring ceremony scheduled to take place immediately following the game.
