No. 20 A&M-Victoria falls to OLLU in midweek showdown
A late surge and untimely miscues were too much for the Texas A&M University-Victoria baseball team to overcome on Tuesday.
The No. 20-ranked Jaguars fell, 15-5 in eight innings, to Our Lady of the Lake in a non-conference game at Riverside Stadium.
A&M-Victoria falls to 13-9 overall.
The Jaguars committed three errors on Tuesday and allowed five unearned runs.
Key Moments
After trailing 1-0 early, the Jaguars responded with their most productive frame of the night in the bottom of the third.
Xavier Ortega sparked the rally with a single, and Ty Boozer worked a walk to put two aboard. Beck Zimmerman delivered the first blow, lining an RBI single to left to tie the game. Moments later, a wild pitch allowed Boozer to score, giving the Jaguars a 2-1 advantage. Connor Kaiser followed with an RBI single to center, extending the lead to 3-1 and capping a three-run surge.
The Saints answered emphatically in the fourth with a four-run inning.
Our Lady of the Lake added two more runs in the fifth, stretching the margin to 6-3.
A&M-Victoria cut into the deficit in the sixth when Kaiser doubled and later scored on a fielder's choice by Roberto Olguin to make it 7-4. However, the Saints created separation in the seventh with three more runs.
The decisive blow came in the eighth, when OLLU capitalized on errors and timely hits to plate five runs, four of them unearned. A&M-Victoria managed a run in the bottom half on a wild pitch.
Top Performers
Connor Kaiser paced the Jaguars offensively, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
Garrett Smith also turned in a strong night at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three singles, to help the Jaguars to eight hits. Smith reached base in each of his plate appearances as well.
Beck Zimmerman added an RBI single during the pivotal third inning rally, while Roberto Olguin drove in a run on a fielder's choice in the sixth. Xavier Ortega chipped in with a hit as well.
On the mound, Justin Mireles took the loss after allowing four runs over four innings. Andrew Rivera provided two innings of relief before the Saints' late offensive surge against the bullpen widened the gap.
Next up
A&M-Victoria travels to Texas A&M-Texarkana to resume Red River Athletic Conference play Thursday and Friday at George Dobson Field. The series starts at 2 p.m. on Thursday, followed by a 12 p.m. doubleheader Friday. The series was pushed up due to inclement weather in Texarkana.
