February 5, 2008
San Antonio – Ninth-ranked Angelo State University scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning to rally past St. Mary’s University for a 13-10 win in the season-opening baseball game for the Rattlers, Tuesday afternoon at V.J. Keefe Memorial Stadium.
Angelo State ran out to a big early lead before the Rattlers settled down. The Rams scored five runs in the first inning, and then added three more in the third, thanks in part to five unearned runs. However, the Rattlers were able to slow down the powerful ASU offense over the next five, innings, giving their offense a chance to rally.
They started with three runs in the bottom of the third inning on doubles by Jonathon Cisneros (So., San Antonio) and David Vaio (Jr., San Antonio) and a wild pitch, which allowed Vaio to score. That cut the ASU lead to just three at 8-5. The next inning the Rattlers cut into the deficit again when Jonathon Rosfeld (Fr., San Antonio) singled home Colin Stock (Fr., Klamath Falls, Ore.) to make it an 8-6 game.
In the sixth inning they tied the game at 8-8 when Danny Cantu (Jr., Laredo) singled to score Rosfeld, then Michael Brzezinski (Jr., Helotes) hit a sacrifice fly to score Cantu with the tying run. The next inning the Rattlers took the lead for the first time in the game. Cisneros had the decisive hit, smacking a single up the middle to score Rosfeld and Stock, making the score 10-8.
However, the lead was short-lived. ASU rebounded with four runs in the top of the eighth, with Jimmy Cox bringing home two on a single and Shan Sullivan giving the Rams an 11-10 lead with a single of his own.
From there Joe Key held the Rattlers in check, allowing just two runs on three hits and three walks over 3.1 innings to pick up his first win of the season. Michael Villarreal (Jr., Eagle Pass) took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits in 4.1 innings, while striking out four.
Rosfeld had hits in his final four at-bats to go 4-of-6 in his first collegiate game, including a double, RBI and two runs scored. Cisneros was 3-of-5 with two doubles, four RBI and a two runs scored. Cantu and Vaio had two hits each.
With the loss St. Mary’s fell to 0-1 on the season, while Angelo State improved to 3-1. St. Mary’s will return to action on Friday when they host Oklahoma Panhandle State University in a Heartland Conference doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. at V.J. Keefe Memorial Stadium.