The St. Edward’s baseball team split a double-header on Saturday afternoon to take a 2-1 series lead. After a wet couple of days earlier in the week, it was perfect baseball weather for the Hilltoppers to open up their season. The weather was sunny with a slight wind and temperatures were in the high 60s on both Friday and Saturday.
Game One
The Hilltoppers showed grit in their comeback win, 7-5, over the Buffaloes in game one of their double-header at Lucian-Hamilton Field.
George Hettrick held the Buffs scoreless in 4.1 shutout innings of work, striking out four and allowing four hits.
Carlo Figueroa drove in Jeremy Hill and Trevor Sebek on a two-out, two-run triple to left-center field to put the Hilltoppers up 2-0 in the bottom of the third inning.
Sebek drew his second walk of the game with one out in the bottom of the fifth, and Figeuroa came through again with an RBI double to make it 3-0 Hilltoppers.
Two batters later, Connor Cox added to the lead with an RBI single to score Figueroa.
The Buffaloes faced Hilltopper reliever Marley Bernal, pitching for the second time in two days, using a one-out error in the top of the sixth by Figueroa as a catalyst to jumpstart its offense. Buffs center fielder Jovan Camacho drove in two runs with the bases loaded on a single up the middle to make it 4-0 Hilltoppers.
Preseason All-American Kyle Micklus cranked a go-ahead three-run homer just inside the right field foul pole to give the Buffs a 5-4 lead.
In the home half of that inning, back-to-back walks and a single loaded up the bases for Figueroa, who worked a walk to tie the game, 5-5. Then, Marco Barrera ripped a clutch two-out, two-run single to put the Hilltoppers in front for good, 7-5.
“I feel very confident and calm in big situations,” Figueroa said. “I feel like I thrive the best in those situations when my team needs me.”
Game Two
Shortly after the conclusion of game one, the Buffaloes and Hilltoppers were back at it for the tail-end of a double header. In his first at-bat of the season, Buffaloes’ second baseman slammed a solo home run to left-center field to give his team the 1-0 lead.
The Hilltoppers immediately responded, cashing in on a throwing error by Buffs’ third baseman Seth Ochoa to score Dylan Tate, to tie the game 1-1.
Trouble arose for the Hilltoppers’ defense in the top third, three errors turned into four runs for West Texas A&M. Nine of the 10 runs the Buffaloes scored in the first three games were unearned.
The Hilltoppers added another run in the bottom of the third inning on an RBI double from Cox to score Figueroa.
Ben Smedshammer provided four innings of scoreless relief for the Hilltoppers, but the Buffaloes bullpen quieted the St. Edward’s offense, to pick up a 5-2 game three win.
High quality pitching puts the Hilltoppers in prime position to seal an opening series win.
“They’ve been competitive and done a good job of being in the zone as much as possible,” St. Edward’s pitching coach Jeremy Flores said. “This is a veteran group of guys that understands what we’re trying to do.”
St. Edward’s convincingly defeated West Texas A&M, 12-7, on Sunday to clinch their opening series. The Hilltoppers are 3-1 to start the season and will return to action next week on the road to take on the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds next weekend, Feb. 7-Feb. 9.
