Box Score CANYON, Texas – The No. 7 Colorado Mesa baseball team allowed seven runs in the top of the third inning and couldn't recover in a 13-10 loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville in the opening round of the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament at Wilder Park.
Texas A&M-Kingsville improved to 4-1 all-time against the Mavericks with the win. The lone win the Mavericks have over the Javelinas came in the 2014 in the NCAA South Central Regional Championship game.
Kingsville built an 8-0 lead after three innings and before the Mavericks would get two back in the bottom of the fourth inning. Senior third baseman
Garrett Ball delivered a towering two-run home run to left field. The home run was Ball's sixth of the season and cut the Javelina lead to 8-2.
Texas A&M-Kingsville struck back in the top of the fifth inning with three runs to take an 11-2 lead.
Colorado Mesa got one back in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run by
JJ Carr, his fourth of the season. The homer made it 11-3 Kingsville.
In the sixth inning, Ball led off with a single down the left field line followed by a
Johnny Carr hit by pitch. Then the lightning came and the game was delayed 59 minutes until the weather system passed.
When play resumed,
Tyler Sandoval walked followed by a bases loaded walk by
Zach McLeod that forced in
Garrett Ball to make it 11-4.
John Ballard followed with a sac fly to center, scoring
Johnny Carr to cut it to 11-5.
After a
JJ Carr RBI single,
Dominic DeMarco stepped to the plate. DeMarco skied one to left field in the swirling wind, the ball fell into straight away left field and skipped towards the foul line. All three base runners came around to score on the play, which made it 11-9 in favor of the Texas A&M-Kingsville.
But, just like earlier in the game, the Javelinas answered with a two-run big to extend the lead back to 13-9.
Colorado Mesa would get just the one run in the ninth for the 13-10 decision.
JJ Carr finished the game 2-for-5 with two runs scored and three runs driven in while teammate
Garrett Ball went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two runs driven in.
Junior
Reagan Todd took the loss on the mound after receiving his first game one of the year. Todd (7-2) allowed eight runs (five earned) on five hits, walked four and struck out five. Todd retired the first five outs of the game by way of strikeout.
Colorado Mesa's record dips to 40-15 on the season while Texas A&M-Kingsville improved to 38-14.
The Mavericks will play the 11am game tomorrow against an opponent yet to be determined. They will face the loser of the night game between the Tarleton State Texans and the host West Texas A&M Buffs.
