Playing host to one of the teams tied for first place in the Lone Star Conference, West Texas A&M, the University of the Incarnate Word baseball team shocked the Buffaloes with a 3-1 victory after a rain-delayed start to Friday's series opener.
UIW (17-15 overall, 12-8 LSC) and West Texas will play three more games at Sullivan Field this weekend, starting with tomorrow's doubleheader, scheduled to start at 1 p.m. (weather permitting). Friday's start was pushed back nearly two hours as rain and lightning blew through the area. Once the storm clouds had passed, the sun was shining, yet gusting winds remained for the rest of the game.
Both schools started out well, defensively, with the game's first base runner not happening until the bottom of the 2nd inning (UIW's Greg Barbaro was hit by a pitch) and the game's first hit not coming until the top of the 4th inning (a single by WT).
Keith Vasquez started for Incarnate Word and went three strong innings, pitching shutout baseball and allowing no hits, striking out a batter and walking one batter. The Buff's Ryan Houston went seven innings and would eventually surrender six hits, three runs (two earned) and take the loss.
Cardinal pitcher Dylan Boss took over in the 4th and pitched six innings to get the victory. He allowed eight hits, but only one run (earned) would score during his time on the mound and he got out of three bases-loaded situations.
Helping the freshman get the victory was his team's error-free play in the field, including a bases-loaded force-out at home where third baseman Hector Flores made a diving stop and threw home from his knees to beat the charging base runner.
Incarnate Word's offense came in the fourth inning where two key places at first base enabled the team to generate some runs.
First, Adam Pena ripped a ground ball right by the first base bag and the ball took a strange, high bounce and got past the first baseman. Pena reached second base, but would get thrown out at third when a weakly-hit grounder by Jordan Littlefield forced the pitcher to make a choice – and he threw to third instead of getting Littlefield at first. The next two batters, Slade Brown and Greg Barbaro, both hit singles into the outfield and loaded the bases for Jason Stone – who hit a ball towards first base that was knocked down by the diving first baseman, but the WT pitcher could not make it to first in time to get the out, allowing Littlefield to reach home for the 1-0 lead.
Bases still loaded and with only one out, Lucas Miller played it smart and sent a pitch deep into left field and brought Brown home with the sacrifice fly, making the score 2-0.
By the end of the fourth inning, UIW had connected on four hits and scored twice – which would prove to be enough runs to win the game (the Cardinals added another run in the fifth thanks to an error by West Texas).
In all, the Buffs left 10 runners stranded in a game where there were only 14 hits (8 for WT, 6 for Incarnate Word) in the game.
Tomorrow, the two teams will play a doubleheader of two, seven-inning games, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. (so long as the storms blowing through the San Antonio area on Friday don't stick around for Saturday as well).
The victory also moves Incarnate Word head coach Danny Heep closer to the 500-win milestone. Going into the 2012 season, Heep had 481 career wins at UIW – and Friday victory puts his total at 498 wins with a chance to reach 500 this weekend if the Cardinals can win two of the three games remaining.
