CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M Buffaloes started their season in style on Friday afternoon as they picked up a 13-7 Lone Star Conference victory over the St. Edward's Hilltoppers at Wilder Park in Canyon on Opening Day.
 
West Texas A&M took the lead in the third inning when Daniel Castellanos doubled to left center and Jacob Police followed with a triple to right field, bringing in the first run. Zac Rackham's subsequent single scored Police, giving the hosts a 2-0 advantage. In the fourth, the Buffs capitalized on St. Edward's errors, scoring three unearned runs. Timothy Haynes reached on an error, allowing Brock Bunker to score, while Police and Tristan Menchaca contributed RBIs to extend the lead to 5-0.
 
In the fifth inning, Haynes hit a two-run homer down the left field line following Bunker's double and steal of third, pushing the lead to 7-2 after St. Edward's had scored two runs on a homer. The Buffs scored once more in the sixth inning with Ronan Hella's RBI single, making it 8-3. The seventh inning saw the Buffs explode for five runs, highlighted by a double from Police and a two-RBI single by Anthony Picciano, extending their lead to 13-4.
 
St. Edward's mounted a late challenge, scoring two runs in the eighth and another in the ninth, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit. The Buffs secured a 13-7 victory with a strong offensive performance, collecting 15 hits and capitalizing on three errors by St. Edward's.
 
Cade Griffin pitched 5 innings, allowing 5 hits and 3 earned runs while striking out 4 batters, contributing to his first win of the season. Bryan Raitz took the mound for 2 innings, conceding 4 hits, 3 runs, and issuing 3 walks without recording a strikeout. Riley Kettner closed out with 2 innings of work, surrendering 2 hits and 1 earned run, while striking out 2. Together, the pitching staff faced a total of 41 batters and allowed 10 hits over 9 innings.
 
Timothy Haynes made a strong impact by scoring two runs and hitting a home run, contributing two RBIs while drawing a walk. Brock Bunker was effective at the plate, scoring three runs, hitting a double, and stealing two bases in one game. Jacob Police delivered with two runs, three hits, including a double and a triple, and three RBIs. Daniel Castellanos added to the team's success with three runs, two doubles, and two hits while being hit by a pitch twice.
 
The Buffs and Hilltoppers return to the diamond tomorrow afternoon with first pitch of game two scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Canyon. The original game time of 1:00 p.m. was adjusted due to the possibility of cold temperatures in the Texas Panhandle on Saturday.