Box Score
Zach Davis
Laredo Morning Times
Following six straight losses, the Texas A&M International baseball team is starting to get back into the win column.
The Dustdevils won their second straight game taking the series against Texas of the Permian Basin with a 3-2 victory in the rubber match. The win brought their road record to 6-8 on the season.
After starting pitcher Jerry Hawkins went down with a knee injury in the first inning of game one of a doubleheader yesterday, the team’s No. 3 starter in Baylr Bickerton came in to pitch 4.1 innings. Manolo Mendoza, who used to be the No. 3 starter, also pitched in the second game of the doubleheader. That brought the starting duties on Saturday to Dino Cristiani for his second start of the year.
Cristiani came into the game leading the team with four losses from the bullpen with a 5.40 ERA. Against the Falcons, Cristiani (2-4, 4.11 ERA) allowed just one unearned run over six innings on four hits while striking out two.
The victory brought TAMIU to 18-12 on the season with a 13-8 record in the Heartland Conference. No. 20 St. Mary’s (19-9, 15-5 Heartland) leads the league 2.5 games ahead of the Dustdevils and are followed by No. 22 St. Edward’s (18-7, 13-5) 1.5 games up and Arkansas-Fort Smith (14-9, 12-6) a half-game ahead.
TAMIU did all its damage in the first inning, scoring three runs right off the bat. After Alex McKeon brought home Ryan Jozwiak on a fielder’s choice, Fernando Garza brought home two on a double. Despite giving up four errors on defense, the lead was enough for the Dustdevils to hold the rest of the way.
Following Cristiani’s six innings, southpaw reliever Jared Curnel earned his second save throwing the final three innings allowing just one unearned run. He gave up three hits and struck out one, lowering his ERA to 2.83 in 2013.
TAMIU will get a bye from their typical Tuesday game and head to Goodwell next weekend for its first series of the season against last place Oklahoma Panhandle State who has just a 1-23 record on the season and is winless in 18 conference games. The series takes place with a doubleheader on Friday before the series finale Saturday, both of which begin at 1 p.m.
