February 12, 2011
San Antonio – No matter whether he pinch-hits or starts, St. Mary’s sophomore Derek Moczygemba has a way of coming up big in tight spots.
Moczygemba scored the key go-ahead run in the fifth inning of Saturday’s eventual 6-3 victory in the front end of a doubleheader against Arkansas-Fort Smith, crossing home plate on an RBI groundout from older brother Reagan Moczygemba.
Despite a feverish comeback that saw the Rattlers close out the game with seven unanswered runs, they dropped Game 2, 15-11.
In Game 1, St. Mary’s (4-1, 3-0 Heartland Conference) fell behind 2-0 in the first inning but clawed back with three runs in the second, before scattering a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth.
While Arkansas-Fort Smith is a Heartland Conference opponent, the game did not affect the league standings since the Lions remain a provisional member.
The younger Moczygemba, or “Little Mooch” as he is affectionately known around these parts, was 0 for 1 with one walk and two runs scored in his first start of the year. The Bulverde, Texas native entered the game 2 for 2 with three RBIs in a pair of pinch-hit appearances. He got the start at first base Saturday.
Matt Holland (Sr., Shreveport, La.) got the start and the victory on the mound, improving to 2-0 on the season. He went 6 1/3 innings, striking out two and yielding just two earned runs. Closer Sammy Rivas (Sr., San Antonio) collected his first save of the year.
Centerfielder Josh McElroy (Jr., Helotes, Texas) went 2 for 3 with two RBIs, while Reagan Moczygemba (Sr., Bulverde, Texas) was 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Third baseman Jeremy Narvaez (Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas) was 1 for 2 with a run scored.
In Game 2, the Rattlers fell behind 15-4 in the seventh before staging a massive comeback to make the game interesting. St. Mary’s scored five in the bottom of the seventh and tacked on two more in the eighth, but couldn’t complete the rally.
Second baseman Weston Baros (Sr., San Antonio) went 2 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs scored in the game, while Derek Moczygemba drove in a pair on a 1-for-3 performance. Greg Herbst (Sr., San Antonio), who got the start on the mound, went 1 for 4 with three runs scored. McElroy and Tyler Migl (Jr., San Antonio) each drove in a run.