March 17, 2007
San Antonio – Brandon Key allowed just one run over seven innings to pick up his second win of the season, while the St. Mary’s University offense had four doubles to lead the Rattlers to a 6-1 win over Texas A&M International University in Heartland Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon at V.J. Keefe Memorial Stadium.
Key (So., Katy) struggled early, allowing six base runners over the first three innings, but was able to work out of jams in all three innings. He settled down after that and held the Dustdevils scoreless until the sixth inning when Jose Sanchez Jr., hit a seeing-eye single up the middle to score Angel Encinas with the lone run of the afternoon for TAMIU.
Key would pitch one more inning and improved to 2-1 with the win. He allowed one run on six hits and five walks, while striking out a season-high six. Frank Flores (Jr., San Antonio) tossed two shutout innings in relief of Key. Daniel Lopez took the loss for the Dustdevils, allowing six runs on nine hits and four walks, while striking out two. He fell to 4-2 on the season.
The Rattlers wasted no time in getting on the board in the first inning. Michael Brzezinski (So., Helotes) reached on a bunt single to lead off and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ray Camacho (Sr., Converse). Jonathon Cisneros (Fr., San Antonio) brought Brzezinski home with s single to center, giving the Rattlers a 1-0 lead.
St. Mary’s extended the lead in the third inning. Jason Anderson (Sr., Lancaster, Calif.) singled to lead off and Brzezinski followed with a walk. Camacho moved the runners to second and third with his second sacrifice of the game. Cisneros drew a walk and Anderson scored when the fourth ball went all the way to the backstop for a wild pitch. Cody Pyle (Sr., Spring) then brought home Brzezinski with a sacrifice fly to center to give the Rattlers a 3-0 lead.
The Rattlers put the game away in the seventh inning. With one out Bobby Freeman (Jr., Fair Oaks Ranch) walked and stole second. One out later Camacho lined his team-best 11th double of the season down the leftfield line, scoring Freeman. Cisneros followed with his sixth double of the season to score Camacho. An error on a ground ball by Pyle allowed the third run of the inning to score.
Cisneros led the Rattlers with two hits in three at-bats, including two RBIs. Jason Davila (Sr., Boerne) also had a pair of base hits. Sanchez Jr., led the Dustdevils with three hits, while Encinas had a pair of base knocks.
With the win the Rattlers completed a four-game sweep of the Dustdevils and have won four straight. St. Mary’s is now 19-7 overall this season, while TAMIU fell to 16-10-1. The Rattlers will return to action on Friday when they host cross-town rival the University of the Incarnate Word in a key Heartland Conference doubleheader at V.J. Keefe Memorial Stadium, starting at 3 p.m.