AUSTIN – Huston-Tillotson University's baseball team completed a weekend series sweep of Texas College with a pair of doubleheader victories Saturday at Downs Field.
The Rams claimed a narrow 4-3 win in Saturday's opener thanks to a late-inning comeback before routing the Steers 18-1 in the series finale.
With Saturday's triumphs, the Rams (10-15) improved their Red River Athletic Conference record to 5-4. Texas College (1-19) remained winless in league play, falling to 0-12 in conference games.
The visiting Steers were only an inning away from victory in Saturday's opener, but a costly defensive error combined with timely HT hitting lifted the Rams to a comeback win in the game that was scheduled for seven innings.
Kendall Brown's pinch-hit single up the middle with one out scored
Noah Alvarez and
Luke Vizcarra and capped a three-run inning.
Trailing 3-1 entering the frame,
Gary Wafford drew a walk, which was followed by an Alvarez single and bunt single from Vizcarra. On the bunt play, Texas College's catcher uncorked a wild throw that allowed Wafford to score. Two batters later, Brown's pinch hit gave HT its first lead of the game.
In the top of the seventh,
Brycen Lee scattered three hits but didn't allow the tying run to cross the plate as the Rams celebrated the win. His efforts were aided by
Jorge Saucedo's pickoff throw to Alvarez at first base that removed TC's leadoff runner from the basepaths.
Lee struck out three batters and walked only two and allowed eight hits to earn the complete-game victory.
Adam Sheehan's RBI single that scored
Kadarien Harris accounted for the Rams' first run of the game.
In game two, the Rams scored eight runs over the first two innings and never looked back as they gave pitcher
Rece Houghton more than enough support to complete a seven-inning victory on the mound. Houghton struck out six and allowed only one run in the top of the third inning.
After his pinch-hit heroics in the first game of the doubleheader, Brown returned to the starting lineup and went 3-for-4 at the plate with four runs scored. Alvarez and
Josh Wilk collected four RBIs apiece.
Gary Wafford went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored, while
Payton Johnson collected a pinch-hit, two-RBI single late in the game.
Wafford and
Tucker Allen each hit triples in the game; Allen's was part of a 3-for-4, three-RBI performance. Also collecting an RBI triple was pitcher
Steel Kupec, who made his first plate appearance in three years with the Rams in a pinch-hit showing Saturday.
After defeating the RRAC's last-place team this weekend, the Rams will now prepare for the conference's (and NAIA's) No. 1 team in LSU–Shreveport. The Rams open a three-game series at LSU–Shreveport on Friday, March 14.
– HT –
