March 1, 2008
San Antonio – Danny Cantu scored on an error in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting St. Mary’s University to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over Newman University in Heartland Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon at V.J. Keefe Memorial Stadium.
The Rattlers fell behind in the sixth inning when Tyler Riddick scored on a wild pitch by Tyler Cales (Jr., San Antonio). Cales worked out of the inning, but left trailing 2-1 after allowing just one earned run on three hits and four walks in six innings. He struck out six.
Meanwhile his counterpart Alex Mauricio held the Rattlers in check for six innings, allowing just one run until the seventh inning. Collin Stock (Fr., Klamath Falls, Ore.) singled to lead off and moved to second on a sacrifice. Pinch hitter Derek Gonzales (So., San Antonio) then lined a single to center, putting runners on first and third. Bobby Freeman (Sr., Fair Oaks Ranch) walked to load the bases and Jonathon Rosfeld (Fr., San Antonio) reached on an infield single to score Stock, tying the game at 2-2. Michael Brzezinski (Jr., Helotes) was hit by a pitch to bring home the go-ahead run, but Mauricio avoided further damage.
Back came the Jets in the next inning as Riddick doubled to lead off and scored on a Brett Huton single to left, tying the game again at 3-3. That set up the heroics for the Rattlers in the ninth inning. Cantu (Jr., Laredo) walked with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch by new pitcher Tyler Gunelson. Brzezinski then hit a ball to shortstop that John Bonebreak let under his glove into leftfield, allowing Cantu to come all the way around from second for the winning run.
That play made a winner out of Ryan Morrow (Fr., Bulverde) who tossed three innings of relief to earn his first collegiate win on the mound. Morrow allowed one run on three hits, while striking out one. Gunelson took the loss, allowing one run on a walk in 2/3 of an inning. He dropped to 1-1 on the season. Stock and Daniel Soto (So., Lytle) each went 2-of-3 in the game to lead the Rattlers offensively.
With the win the Rattlers completed a three-game sweep of Newman to improve to 12-5 overall and 10-3 in Heartland Conference play. Newman fell to 3-10, 1-10. St. Mary’s will return to action on Friday when they travel across town to face rival the University of the Incarnate Word in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.