HOBBS, N.M. (April 23, 2022) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) baseball team took two of three games this weekend against the University of the Southwest (USW). The Saints improve to 25-21 overall and 18-11 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Mustangs drop to 28-17 overall and 19-12 in the conference.

Head Coach Bryan Aughney commented, "I'm really proud of our players. Southwest is a tough place to play, and they are a good team. It wasn't a fun environment as the wins were howling both days. Brett Vasquez (JR/Baytown, Texas) threw a gem in game one, and we did a solid job of executing our offensive approach. We didn't play fundamental baseball in game two and that dug us in a hole. We hit the ball hard all day, but it didn't go anywhere due to the conditions. We bounced back great in game three. We battled all day, pitched well and got timely hits."

History

The Saints were 16-8 against the Mustangs prior to the series.

Game One, 6-1

The Saints' offense controlled the first game of the series. Francisco Martinez (FR/San Antonio, Texas) and Noah Rodriguez (JR/Victoria, Texas) both hit RBI singles in the first inning to put OLLU up 2-0. Jacob Mitchell (SR/Harker Heights, Texas) added to the RBI singles tally by scoring Jonathan LaCourse (SO/San Antonio, Texas) in the next inning. The Saints scored three more times in the fourth inning and won 6-1. The Saints totaled nine hits and didn't commit an error.

Vasquez started on the mound and struck out nine batters in six innings to earn the win. Javier De Alejandro (FR/San Antonio, Texas) pitched the final inning and allowed one earned run. Francisco Martinez went 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs. Jarod Smith (FR/Baytown, Texas) hit 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Jacob Montejano (JR/San Antonio, Texas) scored two runs.

Game Two, 3-13 (7 innings)

In game two, the Mustangs flipped the script by scoring 13 runs backed by 11 hits. OLLU had a rough game defensively and committed eight errors. USW led 10-0 heading into the top of the seventh inning. Christian Martinez (FR/Corpus Christi, Texas) and Robert Arredondo (SR/Corpus Christi, Texas) both picked up RBIs in the inning, and the Saints ultimately scored three runs. Starting pitcher Trey Ramirez III (SR/Donna, Texas) allowed six earned runs in four innings and suffered the loss. Devin Benavides (FR/Laredo, Texas) and John B. Ortega II (FR/Harlingen, Texas) pitched in relief, and both allowed three earned runs each. The Saints lost 13-3 in a run-ruled seven inning game.

Arredondo and Rodriguez both had a multi-hit game. Jarod Smith, Matthew Klar (JR/San Antonio, Texas) and Rodriguez scored the Saints' three runs.

Game Three, 6-5 (10 innings)

The finale of the three-game series didn't disappoint. The Saints took a 3-0 lead in the third inning, which started with Mitchell's solo home run. Rodriguez later tripled to score Francisco Martinez, and Klar singled to score Rodriguez. The Mustangs cut the Saints' lead to one run in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two-run shot. Both teams scored once in the seventh inning to keep the Saints ahead 4-3. Southwest hit an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs to send the game to extra innings. The Saints didn't falter and put up two runs in the following inning. Montejano singled to bring in Jimmy Valle (FR/San Antonio, Texas) and Christian Martinez. The Mustangs scored one run again with two outs, but the Saints closed the game after Southwest grounded out for the final put away.

Mitchell started on the mound for the Saints and went six innings with two earned runs and four strikeouts. Ziegen Farley (FR/San Antonio, Texas), Layne Klostermann (JR/Raymondville, Texas) and Joshua Mendez (JR/Corpus Christi, Texas) all pitched in relief. Mendez was awarded the win because he came into the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Montejano finished with two RBIs, and Mitchell batted 3-for-3 at the plate.

Up next

The Saints return home to face NCAA D3 Schreiner University in a doubleheader on April 26, starting at 4 p.m.