LAREDO, Texas – Junior's Beto Cervantes and Isaac Gonzalez both played hero for Texas A&M International baseball on Saturday afternoon, as each hit a walk-off home run to help the Dustdevils sweep St. Edward's by scores of 6-5 and 5-4.
 
GAME 1: Texas A&M International 6 St. Edward's 5
 
St. Edward's opened the scoring in game one with a solo home run in the top of the first to lead 1-0.
 
TAMIU would tie the game in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI single by sophomore Daniel Quiroz.
 
The Hilltoppers added two in the top of the fourth with back-to-back solo homers to lead 3-1, but the Dustdevils earned a run in the bottom half of the inning with a solo home run of their own by senior Brock Hargens to make it a 3-2 game.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, junior Antonio Buentello came up with a bases clearing, three RBI double which briefly put TAMIU ahead 5-3.
 
St. Edward's would respond immediately in the top of the sixth with two runs to make the game even 5-5.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Cervantes played hero, belting a walk-off solo blast to left field to lift TAMIU to victory.
 
Senior Abanny Garcia pitched all seven frames for the Dustdevils, allowing five runs, nine hits, one walk and fanned two.
 
Offensively, TAMIU had six batters come up with a single hit, the biggest being the homers by Cervantes and Hargens, as well as the Buentello double.
 
GAME 2: Texas A&M International 5 St. Edward's 4
 
St. Edward's again jumped ahead in the top of the first, with a second consecutive leadoff home run and a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead.
 
Junior Matt Kissamis cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the first with a solo home run to make the score 2-1.
 
The Hilltoppers added to their lead in the top of the third inning, pushing two runs across to gain a three-run, 4-1 lead.
 
The Dustdevils chipped away in the bottom of the sixth to cut the deficit to 4-3, scoring two in the inning.
Junior Isaac Gonzalez started with a solo home run, and sophomore Daniel Quiroz later followed with an RBI groundout. However, TAMIU would leave a runner stranded at third.
 
Despite the stranded runner, the Dustdevils found a way in the bottom of the seventh.
 
With a 3-2 count and two outs, senior Ronnie Bailey kept the game alive with a pinch-hit single.
 
Gonzalez then followed and took the first pitch he saw deep to right field and solidified the second walk-off victory for TAMIU on the afternoon.
 
Sophomore Jan Cabrera worked a complete game, allowing four runs, nine hits and struck out nine.
 
The Dustdevils had six hits offensively with Gonzalez's 2-for-4, two homers and 3 RBI leading the way.
 
TAMIU looks to take the season series against the Hilltoppers in the final game of the series set to begin at 1 p.m.