Box Score (Game 1)Box Score (Game 2)Season StatsKINGSVILLE, Texas – The No. 11 West Texas A&M baseball team split a doubleheader at No. 22 Texas A&M-Kingsville Saturday afternoon with the Buffs taking the opener 6-1 and TAMUK battled back from a 3-0 deficit for nine runs in the fifth inning and a 9-3 win in the nightcap.
WT trails in the series 2-1 and needs a win in tomorrow's finale to earn the split to remain one game ahead of the Javelinas in the league standing and, at worst, in a tie for first with Angelo State as the Rams swept a doubleheader at Tarleton State Saturday for a 2-1 lead in its series with the Texans. First pitch for Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Nolan Ryan Field for the Buffs and Javelinas. Live stats can be found at
www.gobuffsgo.com on the baseball schedule page.
For the doubleheader, senior
Trace Hansen led the way going 2 for 3 with three runs scored, one walk, one RBI and three times hit. He went 4 for 4 in stolen bases, while junior
Troy LaBrie went 3 for 7 with two doubles, three RBI and a run scored. WT hit just .226 for the day on 12 of 53 with three doubles, while TAMUK went 13 of 50 for a .260 clip. WT stranded 20 base runners in two games, while the Javelinas left just seven on base.
#11 West Texas A&M 6, #22 Texas A&M-Kingsville 1 (Game 1)West Texas A&M (24-9, 13-6) senior pitcher
Austin Moore pitched a gem of a game as the Buffs responded from the 3-0 loss last night with a 6-1 win in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday. Moore went all seven innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, no walks and he fanned a season-high 14.
WT scored six runs on six hits, while TAMUK (22-9, 13-6 LSC) had one run on four hits and four errors. Moore had a one-hit shutout into the seventh inning of the game. Offensively Senior
Jake Fuller was 2 for 3 with two RBI, while LaBrie went 1 for 3 with two RBI. Senior Hansen scored three runs.
The Buffs opened the scoring in the third inning as Hansen and junior
John Baiada were both hit by pitches and an error plated Hansen for a 1-0 lead. A RBI single from Fuller scored the second run. In the fifth, a leadoff single by Hansen and a sacrifice bunt moved him to second as he stole third. A sacrifice bunt RBI from Fuller scored Hansen for a 3-0 lead. The Buffs left the bases loaded in the frame which, leaving men on base, was a common theme for the Buffs in the doubleheader.
In the sixth, another error extended the inning for WT as Baiada hit a RBI ground out and LaBrie belted a two run single to left for a 6-0 lead.
Moore, who hadn't allowed a hit since the first inning, got Zach Smith, who singled to begin the bottom of the first for TAMUK to strikeout swinging to begin the seventh. A double to right and a Ruben Almaguer RBI single to right made the score 6-1. Following a fielder's choice for the second out, Moore fanned his 14
th victim in the game for the final out as he improved to 7-1 on the year.
#22 Texas A&M-Kingsville 9, #11 West Texas A&M 3 (Game 2)WT built a 3-0 lead through the first three innings of the nightcap, but the Buffs left seven on base through the first three innings which would turn out to be costly later in the contest.
The Buffs opened the scoring in the first inning as senior
Mason Shiflett began the game with a single to left. He advanced to second on a throwing error and then was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice. Hansen was plunked by a pitch and LaBrie doubled to right for a 1-0 lead.
The second inning saw two quick outs, but Shiflett singled through the left side following a hit batsman, a walk and Hansen was hit once again for a RBI and a 2-0 lead. WT left the bases full. In the third, LaBrie began the frame with a double to right, a walk and a fielder's choice put runners at the corners. LaBrie scored on a wild pitch for a 3-0 lead.
A leadoff single from Pablo Hernandez began the bottom of the fifth for the Javelinas. Following a fielder's choice Christian Caudle singled home a run and a bunt singled plated the second run for a 3-2 WT lead. A walk loaded the bases as WT went to its bullpen in favor of junior Tommy Garland for junior starter
Justin McAllister. Dalton Perry took the first Garland pitch and put it through the left side tying the game at three.
WT got the second out with a play at the plate, but a single to the pitcher by Almaguer gave TAMUK its first lead at 4-3. From there, the Javelinas scored five more runs in the inning helped out by a pair of Buff miscues for a 9-3 lead.
In the nightcap, LaBrie was 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI, while Shiflett collected two hits. WT left 10 stranded in the game as LaBrie had two doubles and Hansen stole two bases for 15 on the season. McAllister (3-2) took the loss in 4.1 innings, allowing five earned runs, while walking four and fanning three. Jako Kelm (3-2) took the win in relief of Sebi Palacios as Palacios went just two innings, allowing three hits, two earned runs, one walk and he fanned three. Kelm went three innings allowing two hits, one earned run, with three walks and three strikeouts.
