KINGSVILLE, Texas – A RBI ground out bunt from Alex Kana broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth as No. 21 Texas A&M-Kingsville battled back to tie the Lone Star Conference series with No. 25 West Texas A&M, 3-2 Sunday at Nolan Ryan Field.  The Buffs and Javelinas split the four game series with the Buffs winning the first two games and TAMUK winning the last two, both by one run. 

The Buffs (31-13, 12-6 LSC) tallied two runs on seven hits with two costly errors leading to one unearned run, while TAMUK (31-12, 16-4 LSC) had three runs, six hits and one error. WT junior Jimmy Cubillos went 2 for 5 with a run scored, while junior Luis Amaro went 2 for 4 with a double. Six different Javelinas each had hits as Kohl Ulman was 1 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI, while Kana tallied the game winning RBI.

WT had chances in the game to blow it open as it stranded eight runners, including two runners on in the fourth and the bases full in the sixth with one out as TAMUK came up with a pair of strikeouts to end the threat leading at that point 2-1.  TAMUK stranded nine runners in the contest.

The Buffs jumped out to the early lead once again as senior Troy LaBrie singled home Cubillos in the first inning for a 1-0 lead. TAMUK responded in kind in the bottom of the first as Pablo Hernandez singled through the left side courtesy of a miscue by the Buffs for an unearned run. 

The Javelinas added a run in the bottom of the fourth with a bases loaded walk for a 2-1 lead.  WT evened the score in the seventh as junior Nelson Paredes began the inning with a walk and a sacrifice bunt moved him to second.  A single from Cubillos followed and junior Nick Canas plated Paredes on a ground out for a 2-2 score chasing TAMUK starter Zach Wilson from the game.  Hunter Lehman got a groundout to end the threat leaving the Buffs with a man stranded in scoring position. 

WT began the eighth with a double to right from Amaro and a sacrifice bunt moved him to third, but Lehman got a ground out and a fly out to end the threat.  In the bottom of the frame, WT senior Tommy Garland relieved junior starter Noah Draper and got the first out.  A one out walk and a double from Dax McCleary put runners at second and third for Kana.  Kana bunted back to Garland who got the out at first and then gunned down McCleary at the plate, after Alex Gonzalez scored as he reached on the free pass earlier in the frame. 

Lehman retired the Buffs in order in the ninth for the win as he improved to 2-0 on the season.  Garland fell to 0-1, while Draper pitched seven innings, allowing five hits, two runs – one earned, walked five and fanned five.  Wilson went 6.2 innings, allowing six hits, two earned runs, walked three and fanned six.