Baseball 3/6/2013 12:14:00 AM

TAMIU Topples #12 Incarnate Word

Box Score

LAREDO (March 5, 2013) – Rick Alanis improved his team leading batting average to .467, going 2-for-3 with three RBI to help the TAMIU baseball team held off no. 12 University of the Incarnate Word 3-2 Tuesday night at Uni-Trade Stadium.

Incarnate Word starting pitcher Dylan Boss retired the first nine TAMIU batters and didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning. The Dustdevils loaded up the bases in the bottom of the sixth after singles by Alvaro Rondon and Matt Garcia, and a walk from Hector Gonzalez. Alanis then came through with the hit of the night, cracking a double into the gap in right center to clear the bases.

TAMIU trotted six different pitchers out to the mound, with the win going to sophomore Jared Curnel. The transfer from Texas Lutheran University went 2.2 innings allowing one hit and one unearned run with two strikeouts. Senior Manolo Mendoza got the starting nod and delivered a solid performance, allowing no runs on two hits with three strikeouts in two innings of work. Donald Fennell and Stephen Dickerson combined to pitch three shutout innings, allowing only two hits.

The Dustdevils flirted with danger all night long, but repeatedly came through with timely outs to strand 11 Cardinal runners on base. In the second UIW put runners on second and third with one out, but Mendoza got an infield fly and a ground out to end the threat.

The Cardinals loaded up the bases with one away in the third, but Derrick Wells was thrown out at home by Jeff Anderson trying to score on a shallow fly ball to center field.

In the sixth, reliever Francisco Sanchez allowed a leadoff single followed by a walk and a bunt single to load up the bases with no outs. Curnel stepped in and got a quick infield fly, before inducing a 1-2-3 double play to end the threat.

An error by TAMIU in the eighth allowed the Cardinals to score their first run of the game, before they nearly tied it in the ninth.

Closer Dino Cristiani retired the first two UIW batters, before Zac Russell doubled down the left field line bringing the tying run to the plate. After a walk put runners on first and second, Thomas Rinn delivered an RBI single up the middle to bring the Cardinals within a run at 3-2. Cristiani issued another walk to load the bases, before bearing down and striking out the final batter of the game.

The win lifts the Dustdevils overall record on the season to 14-5. TAMIU will be back in action this weekend, traveling to San Antonio, Texas to take on no. 9 St. Mary’s University.

Print Friendly Version