Baseball 3/16/2013 12:38:00 AM

No.18 TAMIU Falters Late In Doubleheader

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

LAREDO (March 15, 2013) – Just days after receiving the program’s first ever national ranking, the no.18 TAMIU baseball team has now lost three straight after dropping a doubleheader to St. Edward’s University Friday evening at Uni-Trade Stadium.

CJ Manning finished with two RBI including the game winner for St. Edward’s, as the Hilltoppers took game one 3-2 in extra innings. TAMIU lead the majority of the way in the nightcap, but St. Edward’s exploded for seven runs on eight hits in their final at bat to steal game two 8-5.

The Dustdevils fell to 11-6 in conference play, and will look to salvage the series in Saturday’s game set a for 1 p.m. start at Uni-Trade Stadium.

TAMIU starter Jerry Hawkins was stellar through seven innings, allowing only two runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks. In the top of the 8^th, Ransom LaLonde reached on a one-out single before moving to second on a stolen base. Manning then plated the go ahead run with a bloop single into left center. Hawkins fell to 3-3 on the year in what was his longest outing of the season (7.1 IP). Reliever Jared Curnel came on with one away in the 8^th and gave up one hit before retiring the final two batters.

The Dustdevils loaded up the bases in the 6^th with only one away, but were unable to capitalize. Hector Gonzalez went down swinging and Alex Salas flied out to end the threat.

The Hilltoppers scratched the board first on a RBI fielder’s choice by LaLonde in the first and took a 2-1 lead on a two-out RBI single by Manning in the third.

The Dustdevils racked up 11 hits versus St. Edward’s starter Brannon Easterling led by senior catcher Sean Smedley who went 3-for-4 with a RBI single in the 3^rd. Alvaro Rondon, Alex Salas, and Matt Garcia each finished with two hits apiece, with Salas driving home TAMIU’s first run of the game in the first.

In the late game it was TAMIU who gained the early momentum, scoring one in the first before adding three more in the third to take a 4-0 lead.

A bizarre series of events gave TAMIU its first run of the game. With Hector Gonzalez at third and Alex Salas at first, Matt Garcia struck out looking but began his trot down the first base line as if he was walked. He fooled everyone as Salas began a casual jog to second with no throw from Manning behind the plate. As both players realized it was a live ball, the throw from behind the plate bounced into center field allowing Gonzalez to score from third.

In the third Garcia redeemed himself with a RBI single before Alex McKeon added two more runs with a double down the left field line.

The Hilltoppers got a run back in the fifth on a RBI-ground out by Joe Pirozzolo, but TAMIU answered with a RBI sac-fly by McKeon in the bottom half of the inning.

The wheels came off for TAMIU in the seventh in St. Edward’s final at bat of the night. After allowing only three hits through six innings, starter Abdel Rivera gave up four straight singles as the Hilltoppers pulled within two runs at 5-3. Reliever Dino Cristiani couldn’t stop the bleeding as St. Edward’s piled on four more hits and five more runs to take an 8-5 lead.

AJ Rataic come on in the bottom half of the inning and retired the Dustdevils in order to end the game.

The loss was credited to Cristiani (1-3) who allowed three runs on four hits, while Rivera got the no decision after giving up five runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and one walk in six innings.

Hector Gonzalez finished 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs, Matt Garcia was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Alex McKeon was 1-for-3 with three RBI.

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