The Dustdevil baseball team played three games against the St. Edwards’ Hilltoppers on Mar. 24 and 25 at the Student Activities Complex (SAC).
The teams split a doubleheader on Saturday (Mar. 24) with the Dustdevils winning game one, 10-2, and St. Edward’s winning game two, 19-12. The Dustdevils took the series finale the following day, 12-3.
Dustdevils fans cheered for the team.
“It’s good to see friendly and cheerful fans out here. They make a warm and welcoming environment for everyone, especially the players,” said Emmy Ramirez, a senior.
Another fan, Maritza Martinez, said, “The TAMIU crowd is rooting and always encouraging the players from the stands, I think the team feels their energy.”
Other Dustdevil fans and parents of the players said they commute to every game to watch the team play ball.
Tony Ramos, a senior for the Dustdevils, pitched a seven-inning complete game for the first game on Mar. 24. He allowed only two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Ramos improved his record to 2-0 with the win.
“I wanted to keep it simple,” Ramos said. “I felt good pitching. I hit my spots and just focused on playing defense.”
This was Ramos’ second victory as a starting pitcher.
“I try to stay positive and keep a good performance,” added Ramos.
The Dustdevils scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 4-0 lead, with Angel Encinas, who contributed two runsbatted with a double.
St. Edward’s designated hitter Yannick Bergeron hit a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning to cut the lead to 4-2.
Dustdevil catcher Mason Dixon answered with a solo shot in the bottom of the inning to push the Dustdevil lead to 5-2.
Dixon blasted a total of two home runs in the double header on Saturday, making it his fourth home run of the season.
“I’m ecstatic!” exclaimed Dixon.
“I never aim for home runs, I just try to get on base,” said Dixon about his home run hits. He added that the play was his best so far since playing for the Dustdevils.
“This is the most I have scored (in a day).”
The St. Edwards Hilltoppers took the win with a score of 19-12 on game two of the double header Saturday. St. Edwards’s pitcher Patrick Colgan pitched six strong innings, leaving the game with the Hilltoppers leading 14-3.
The Hilltoppers had a 7-1 lead after three innings and scored in each inning of the game. The third inning in game two was disappointing for the Devils due to fly outs (fly ball).
The Dustdevils were struggling to strike out the Hilltoppers in the fifth inning but came back and had a good seventh inning scoring 8 runs landing a 15-11 score.
“They came in wholeheartedly and satisfied. The pitchers struggled a bit,” Jon Hinkle, Dustdevil assistant coach, shared about the players coming into the second nine inning game Saturday.
“We came in flat and got tired of falling behind, their self-motivation helped pick it up,” noted Hinkle.
To end the weekend game on Sunday (Mar. 25), the Dustdevils beat out the St. Edwards Hilltoppers, ranked 19th in Division II baseball with a 12-3 game.
Devil Jeremy Wilhelm, a junior, pitched a complete game to lead the Devils (21-11-1) to a 2-1 series win over the Hilltoppers (24-7). Wilhelm (3-1) struck out 12, walked two and allowed only two extra base hits.
When asked about how he felt of his pitching for the game, Wilhelm said, “I felt defense was a big part of it. My teammates kept me going and motivated me when I got tired.”
Rick Sanchez, freshman, hit a two-run homer in the 4th inning, giving the Dustdevils a 3-1 lead.
The Dustdevils scored seven runs in the sixth inning and pushed out to an 11-1 lead.
This was the Dustdevils’ first series win against a Heartland Conference opponent.
The series win over St. Edward’s Hilltoppers is a big step for the rookie Dustdevil baseball program.
The Dustdevils will look to build on that momentum with remaining home games against Heartland Conference opponents Lincoln University, UT-Permian Basin and Lone Star Conference opponent Texas A&M-Kingsville.
The Heartland Conference announced Angel Encinas was Hitter of the Week for games played on March 12-18.