By Alan Wiederhold
HT Athletic Communications
AUSTIN – Huston-Tillotson University's baseball team scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning Thursday to stun Wiley 10-9 in the Rams' first-ever league home game as a member institution of the HBCU Athletic Conference.
The Rams' four runs in their final at-bat capped a wild ninth inning that saw Wiley score six in the top of the ninth to erase HT's 6-3 lead to begin the frame. Freshman outfielder Joseph Brown's first collegiate hit was a game-tying, two-run double with the bases loaded with one out in the ninth.
Wiley then opted to intentionally walk Tucker Allen to set up a force play at any base, but that strategy failed as Trey Garza then drew a walk on five pitches to score Josh Wilk with the game-winning run.
HT's Ethan Walker pitched eight strong innings, striking out four batters and walking two as he allowed only three earned runs. He left the game with a lead but was denied his HBCUAC-leading fifth win when Wiley briefly took the lead in the top of the ninth; Adrian German ended up with the win in relief, striking out a batter and improving to 2-0 on the season.
The Rams (13-11) improved to 2-2 in conference play with the win. Wiley (8-10) dropped to 2-2 in league play; HT and Wiley opened HBCU Athletic Conference play two weeks prior in Marshall.
Trey Garza went 4-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs. Brown's two-RBI double in the bottom of the ninth was a high chopper that was just out of leaping reach of Wiley third baseman Trey Clark.
Allen, Wilk, and Noah Alvarez all collected two hits and one RBI in the game for the Rams. Jaden Corzine went 3-for-4 at the plate.
The game was the first of a three-game series between the Rams and Wildcats. It was also the first game in Austin between the two longtime in-state rivals since 2018. HT and Wiley were scheduled to close their regular-season Red River Athletic Conference schedules at Downs Field in April 2020, but the CoVID-19 pandemic shuttered all college sports the previous month.
HT and Wiley will conclude their series with a doubleheader Friday, March 6. Both games are scheduled for seven innings, with the first contest at Downs Field scheduled to begin at noon.
– HT –
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