Box ScoreSeason StatsCANYON, Texas – In a battle of the top two teams in the Lone Star Conference standings, the West Texas A&M baseball team downed visiting Texas A&M-Kingsville 10-0 in a shortened run-rule game Friday night at Wilder Park. With the win, the Buffs moved to 21-12 on the year and 13-8 in LSC play, while TAMUK fell to 19-13 overall and 13-7 in conference play. The teams will conclude the season series tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
The Buffs jumped on the board in the bottom of the first as senior
Ryan March began the game with a single up the middle, followed by a walk and a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third. Junior
Trace Hansen scored March for a 1-0 lead. Senior
Dylan Dyson doubled home the second run of the inning.
WT senior
Tyler Gibson got off to a good start through the first four innings as he fanned five and allowed just one hit to that point as the Buffs still led 2-0.
Senior
Justin Hargrove doubled home senior
Dylan Dyson in the bottom of the fourth for a 3-0 lead for the Buffs. Following a single from senior
Max Brennen, senior
Johnny Gaines hit a sacrifice bunt RBI for a 4-0 lead.
Wesley Aguilar began the top of the sixth with a single to left, but the Buffs got Aguilar at second on an attempted sacrifice bunt. JP Phillips advanced to second on a passed ball. A walk followed putting two on with one away. Zach Smith hit into the inning-ending 643 double play as Gibson got out of the jam.
The Buffs loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with one away for the top of the order. March doubled off the wall for two more runs and 6-0 lead. Junior
Matt Cole singled home the third run of the inning and a 7-0 score. Junior
Josh Day singled home another run for an 8-0 lead heading into the seventh.
The Buffs put two on with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh with a double off the top of the wall by junior
Mason Shiflett. Brennen singled home a run for a 9-0 lead with one away. An error plated the 10
th run for a run-rule win.
Gibson tossed a two-hit shutout in seven innings, walking one and striking out seven as he improved to 4-2 on the year. TAMUK hurler Ryan Benitez (5-2) took the loss in six innings, surrendering eight earned runs, walking two and fanning four.
Cole led the way offensively for the Buffs going 3 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI. Dyson was 3 for 4 with two runs scored and a RBI, while March was 2 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBI. TAMUK had hits from the eight and nine batters in Aguilar and Phillips while the top seven of the order went a combined 0 of 17. The win marked the second shutout of the season for the Buffs (Oklahoma Christian, 12-0, 2/13).
The win pulled WT within a half game of the lead in the conference standings with the Javelinas. TAMUK now leads the season series 3-2 after taking 3 of 4 in Kingsville in February.
