Box Score

Season Stats

KINGSVILLE, Texas  – Leading 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, the No. 11 West Texas A&M baseball team allowed six runs as TAMUK battled back for the second-straight day of a huge inning for a come-from-behind victory, 9-4.  With the loss, the Buffs fell to 24-10 on the year and 13-7 in Lone Star Conference play.  It marked the first series loss of the season for the Buffs as TAMUK won three of four.
 
TAMUK improved to 23-9 and 14-6 in Lone Star Conference play taking over the lead in the league standings and a 3-1 series lead against the Buffs.  WT, who had a one game lead in the conference standings entering the series, fell into a tie for second with Angelo State as Tarleton State used extra-innings for a 5-4 win over the Rams to split the series.
 
One big inning was the difference in yesterday's win for the Javelinas as TAMUK plated nine runs in the bottom of the fifth in to win 9-3 earning the doubleheader split and a 2-1 series lead to that point.  In Sunday's game, the same theme emerged as WT senior starter Luke Wiechec was cruising allowing just one earned run on one hit through the first 5.2 innings with a 4-0 lead, but a single by Zach Smith started the two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth for the Javelinas. 
 
From there, a walk and a RBI single from Hayden Vesely plated the first run on a 3-2 count.  Ruben Almaguer loaded the bases with a first-pitch single through the left side and ha hit batsman scored the second run of the frame and a 4-3 WT lead.  Junior reliever Thomas Garland relieved Wiechec, but Pablo Hernandez singled through the left side tying the score.  Almaguer scored on a fielding error as Vesely also scored for a 6-4 lead.
 
Wiechec went 5.2 innings, allowing six hits, four earned runs, walked one and fanned five.
 
Christian Caudle singled to center beginning the bottom of the seventh off junior reliever Joshua Payne who came in for Garland.  Wesley Aguilar reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk loaded the bases.  Payne got a big strikeout for the second out, fanning Vesely.   Payne got Almaguer to hit into a fielder's choice to get out of the jam with just a two run deficit.
 
The Buffs put two on with one out in the eighth on singles from Fuller and Shiflett.  TAMUK made its second pitching change in the inning as Kyle Black relieved Hunter Lehman for the fifth pitcher of the game for the Javelinas.  Senior pinch-hitter Aaron De La Paz earned a four pitch walk to load the bases.  A strikeout followed and junior Hunter Henderson came in as a pinch-hitter and flied out to left to end the inning as the Buffs left the bases full for eight stranded in the game and 33 in the series as TAMUK stranded just four in the game and 18 for the series to that point.
 
A leadoff triple and a RBI single gave TAMUK a 7-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth with one out extending the streak to seven unanswered.  The Javelinas then got in scoring position with a steal and a throwing error for a man at third with one away looking to extend the lead.  Aguilar doubled to right for an 8-4 lead.  Aguilar stole third and scored on an error, the fourth of the game by WT, for a 9-4 lead at the end of eight innings.  The four errors by the Buffs all came in the sixth inning or later.
 
With one last chance down five, the Buffs Chapman singled to begin the inning and a walk put two on with nobody out.  Vesely fanned junior John Baiada for the first out and a lineout followed, followed by a strikeout to end the game. 
 
TAMUK scored 19 of its 22 runs in the fifth inning or later in the series, while WT scored just four runs during that span of its 13 runs.  WT was outscored in the final two games 18-0 from the fifth inning through the rest of the games.
 
Wiechec (2-1) took the loss, while Lance Elling (2-0) earned the win in relief for the Javelinas going 2.1 innings, walking one and fanning three.  Chapman went 2 for 5 for the Buffs, while Shiflett was 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI.  Nine different Javelinas each had one hit. 
 
WT stranded 35 for the series, while TAMUK left 18 on base.  TAMUK had four hits in the series with the bases loaded on 11 at bats, while WT was 0 of 5.  The Javelinas drove in nine RBI of their 15 runs batted in with two outs, while WT had four runs batted in with two outs out of 11 total RBI. 
 
The Buffs built the lead with three runs in the second and one in the third as senior Jake Fuller walked with one out in the second and senior Mason Shiflett tripled down the left field line for a 1-0 lead.  Redshirt-freshman Christian Loya grounded out to second plating Shiflett for a 2-0 lead.  Junior Roberto Carrasco hit the first home run of the series and his second of the season for a 3-0 lead.  In the fourth, senior Nick Chapman began the frame with a single to center, followed by a walk and a fielder's choice put runners at second and third.  Junior Troy LaBrie singled to left plating senior Matt Cole for a 4-0 lead.
 
WT continues its road trip (5-3) at Tarleton State next weekend to begin the back half of the conference state with a single game Friday and a doubleheader Saturday.