The sky was cloudy and the mood was dreary. St. Edward’s baseball just came off of a losing skid which saw them lose five of their last six games, including the last four in a row. No amount of losses, low temperatures and bad mojo could keep the Hilltoppers down, however, as they won both games of their double-header March 1 versus the Texas A&M International Dustdevils  8-3 and 16-10 while winning 10-4 in game three March 2.

Game one saw sophomore pitcher Blake Holub give a dominant performance on the mound, where he tossed a complete game that didn’t see any runs until the final inning.

The offense was there to back up their pitcher too as the Hilltoppers burst out to a 6-0 lead in the second inning, on the back a two run home run by sophomore outfielder Jake Hahn, and a three run blast by senior outfielder Ryan McPhail. By the time the dust had settled, the Hilltoppers had claimed the 8-3 victory in Game one.

“When you’re playing against a good team and you’re not swinging the bats well, that’s what’s gonna happen,” said head coach, Rob Penders, on what the team needed to work on following their four game skid. “It was really just focusing on getting back to the middle of the field and us getting on top of the baseball.”

When TAMIU jumped to a 4-0 lead after only two innings in Game two, it seemed that perhaps the chilly air had finally cooled off the Hilltoppers. However, the bats stayed burning in game two, as the Hilltoppers chipped away with two runs in the second and a five run rally in the fourth inning, giving the Hilltoppers the 7-4 lead.

After SEU added another three runs an inning later, the boys in white looked to have the game completely under control.

However, in the top of the eighth, redshirt pitcher, junior Daniel Sabatino’s stellar three innings of relief came to an end as he gave up three runs, which brought the Dustdevils back within three.

Sophomore infielder Jake Hahn put the ‘Devils dreams to bed in the bottom of the same frame, when he knocked his second dinger of the day, this time a solo shot, which was followed up by a parade of hits leading to a six run inning.

“[I] just wanted to put the ball in play,” Hahn said . “Both came with two strikes, I was just trying to put the ball in play and make something happen.”

After some excitement in the final frame, which saw the Dustdevils claw back with three more runs, St. Edward’s claimed the 16-10 victory.

While the Hilltoppers played messy with a combined five errors in the double header, Penders is confidant that the team will clean it up for the next games. To Penders, the errors are a sign that the boys have more ability that has yet to be tapped.

“We have a good defensive team, and sometimes when you have a good defensive team they [make a play on] the balls that other teams don’t,” Penders said. “I’m not worried about it.”

SEU will host Lubbock Christian March 8 at 2 p.m.