April 22, 2011
San Antonio – Carl O’Neal can lay claim to one of the greatest no-decisions in St. Mary’s history.
The sophomore from San Antonio threw nine innings of no-hit baseball in Friday’s 1-0, 10-inning victory over St. Edward’s, not yielding a hit until the top of the 10th in what was then a scoreless Heartland Conference at V.J. Keefe Memorial Stadium.
Shortstop Esteban Raygoza (Jr., San Antonio) scoring the decisive run when right fielder Jason Garcia (Sr., Falfurrias, Texas) drew a bases-loaded walk with one out to win what will go down as the final Heartland Conference game to be played at V.J. Keefe Memorial Stadium.
But O’Neal was no longer the pitcher of record by that time, meaning the stat sheet doesn’t quite reflect his sensational effort.
O’Neal, who was recently named the Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Week, struck out five and walked six, helping keep the Rattlers (38-8, 24-3 in Heartland Conference) in a game on a day their bats went cold.
No. 8 St. Mary’s finished with eight hits, but struggled to string together hits until the 10th.
At that point, there was no stopping the Rattlers.
Raygoza drilled a one-out double to left field, and centerfielder Billy Richard (So., Schertz, Texas) followed up by reaching on an error. Third baseman Reagan Moczygemba (Sr., Bulverde, Texas) then walked to load the bases, and Garcia did the same to bring in the winning run.
Raygoza led the Rattlers at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a run scored, helping the Rattlers secure the series sweep of the Hilltoppers in the latest “Battle of the Saints” installment.
The Rattlers will return to the field on Tuesday, when they host Incarnate Word at 6 p.m. in the final regularly scheduled game at V.J. Keefe Memorial Stadium. A special ceremony will be held before the game, with additional festivities before and throughout the contest. Renovations for the new Outdoor Sports Complex are scheduled to begin in the coming months.