No. 8 A&M-Victoria baseball falls to USW in series finale
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 16 | 1 |
|
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0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | X | 18 | 13 | 2 |
HOBBS, N.M. — Texas A&M University-Victoria scored in six different innings and erased multiple deficits, but University of the Southwest pulled away late to hand the Jaguars an 18‑12 loss Saturday at Jake Williams Field.
A&M‑Victoria (33‑12, 21‑5) collected 16 hits and tied the game twice, including an 8‑8 deadlock in the sixth, but Southwest answered repeatedly with big innings and plated five runs in the bottom of the eighth to put the game away.
Justin Mireles took the loss on the mound for A&M‑Victoria.
Key moments
Southwest opened the scoring with a five‑run second inning.
The Jaguars answered in the third with three runs on RBI singles by Garrett Smith and Jose Montanez to pull within 5‑3. After Southwest extended the advantage to 8‑3 in the fourth, A&M‑Victoria surged again, scoring four runs in the fifth on RBI hits from Connor Kaiser, Smith and Ty Boozer to make it an 8‑7 game.
Smith tied the contest at 8‑8 with an RBI single in the sixth, but Southwest reclaimed control in the bottom half with a pair of two‑run extra‑base hits to go back in front, 12‑8.
A&M‑Victoria continued to battle, scoring two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth to trim the deficit to 13‑12, but Southwest immediately responded. The Mustangs broke the game open in the bottom of the eighth with five runs, including a two‑run double by Mark Gonzales, to push the margin to six.
Top Performers
Smith led the Jaguars offensively, going 3‑for‑6 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Josiah Taylor finished 3‑for‑5 with two RBIs, two runs and a triple, while Ty Boozer went 3‑for‑5 with two doubles and two RBIs. Beck Zimmerman added two hits and an RBI, and Montanez drove in two.
On the mound, Jacob Baker started and struck out five over 3.2 innings. Justin Mireles worked 2.1 innings in relief and was charged with the loss.
Next up
The Jaguars go on the road Tuesday to face Huston-Tillotson University at 4 p.m. at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. After that, A&M-Victoria, which won its first RRAC regular season championship, hosts Jarvis Christian Friday and Saturday at Riverside Stadium in the first round of the RRAC Tournament.