The Dustdevils (5-5, 0-0 Heartland  Conference) showed resilience and free-swinging power at the plate, outhitting the Tigers 17-16 in the loss.

TAMIU fell into a six-run hole before their at bats in the bottom of the third inning. After a 3-up-3-down first inning, FHSU ran junior starting pitcher Armando Manrrique after just 1 2/3 innings pitched.

The San Antonio, Texas, product allowed a solo home run to left before an error by Arturo Castro Jr. led to two eventual unearned runs and saw a run cross on the play.  Manrrique allowed four runs – two earned – on five hits and a walk. He struck out one.

Clay Phillip entered and pitched 1 1/3 innings with two earned runs allowed on three hits and three walks. Ryan Williams then entered in long relief, throwing 4 1/3 innings with a strikeout and just two runs allowed on six scattered hits.

Jared Curnel (0-3) took the loss in 1/3 of an inning pitched, allowing two runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batter. He faced only five batters.

Baylr Bickerton pitched 1 1/3 innings of no-hit ball with three strikeouts and a hit batter.

With the deep deficit into the third inning, TAMIU countered with a four-run third inning. Junior right fielder Andrew Arteaga began his booming 3-for-6 day with a double along the left field line, scoring when junior catcher Alex McKeon sent a RBI singled to center in the next at-bat.

McKeon advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third base when senior first baseman Gordie Taggart reached on an error.

Left fielder Jake Cardoza flared a RBI single to right, scoring McKeon and advancing Taggart to second. Castro then punched a RBI single to center to score Taggart, while Cardoza jumped to second base. Alexander Cabezas, the Dustdevils starting centerfielder, then singled to left to load the bases for the sure-swinging Michael Colorado.

The Dustdevils shortstop flared a sacrifice fly to left field to score Cardoza, despite recording the second out. Mauricio Granados ended the rally with a fly out to center, but TAMIU climbed within a two runs on five hits, a FHSU error and four runs.

The Tigers stretched the lead to 7-5 with a safety-squeeze bunt in the top of the fifth inning, but TAMIU's Colorado plated Castro with a RBI double in the bottom half of the frame, keeping the Tigers' lead at two runs.

TAMIU tied the game with an in-order retiring of FHSU in the top and a three-run bottom of the sixth inning thanks to designated hitter Daniel Cruz's 1-out single. Taggart then blasted a 2-run moon shot toward left field to tie the game.

The Dustdevils saw Cardoza single and advance to second on an error and third on a wild pitch. Castro walked to put runners on the corners, and Cabezas mimicked FHSU from the fifth inning with a bottom-of-the-sixth-inning safety squeeze to score Cardoza for the lead.

With an 8-7 lead, TAMIU held FHSU silent until the top of the eighth inning, when the Tigers roared across the plate for three more runs.

TAMIU couldn't find an answer, stranding three runners on base in the bottom halves of the eighth and ninth innings.

Colorado finished as one of three Dustdevils with three hits, going 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBI. Arteaga (3-for-6, 2B, R) and Cardoza (3-for-4, RBI, 2R, BB) were the Dustdevils' hot hitters.

McKeon (2-for-6, R, RBI), Castro (2-for-4, RBI, R, BB) and Cabezas (2-for-4, RBI) each had two hits.

The Dustdevils will open Heartland play at NCAA provisional member Lubbock Christian (5-4, 0-0 Heartland) with a doubleheader on Feb. 21 and the series' final game on Feb. 22.