Going up against one of the first place teams in the Lone Star Conference at their home field, the Incarnate Word baseball team got a 7-6 and 7-4 victory from the Hoggies in Friday's doubleheader action and positioned themselves to make a run at the regular season title.
UIW (22-17 overall, 16-9 LSC) got two saves from senior Ethan Lutz as the Cardinals had to come back from early deficits and then hold off the home team in both games. Combined, Lutz pitched four innings (two each game) and struck out six TAMUK batters while giving up no runs and just one hit.
In game one, Texas A&M-Kingsville jumped out to a 2-1 and then 4-2 and then 5-2 lead before Incarnate Word scored four runs to get ahead 6-5 in the top of the 5th inning. TAMUK responded by knotting things up, 6-6, in the same inning, but in the 6th inning (in the 7-inning contest) UIW got the go-ahead run they needed for the win.
Things started out with a ground-out, but Lucas Miller followed it up with a single to left field. Derrick Walls then reached base on a fielding error – which also moved Miller to third base. With the runner in scoring position, Incarnate Word pinch-hit with Ryan Flowers and he hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Miller for the go-ahead run.
With the lead, 7-6, UIW put Lutz on the mound and TAMUK couldn't get a single runner on-base in two half-innings.
In game two, UIW and TAMUK were tied, 1-1, before Kingsville took a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 6th.
Incarnate Word responded by scoring six unanswered runs the rest of the way leading 7-4, and, again, Lutz and the defense stopped TAMUK from getting any runs in the final two half-innings.
Justin Kanas and Zach Anderson both earned their first wins of the season. Adam Pena was 4-for-7 with 2 RBIs. Multiple Cardinals had two or more hits in the 16 combined innings of play.
Tomorrow, UIW and TAMUK will play another doubleheader on Saturday, but instead of being at the TAMUK campus, the two teams will face off at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, TX at 1 p.m.
