Saints Baseball Wins One of Three in Season Opener Against Science and Arts

SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 26-27, 2024) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) baseball team won one game of a three-game series against the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. The Saints are now 1-2 on the season, while the perennial powerhouse Drovers improved to 2-1.

History

The Saints are 8-14 against the Drovers. Last season, OLLU lost the opening day doubleheader 2-4 and 0-4 and won the final game of the series 11-5.

Game One

USAO opened the series with two runs. Gage Ninness singled, followed by a double from Gabriel Arroyo. Christopher Martinez hit a blooper to short to send Ninness home. Peyton McDowell followed with a sac fly to score Arroyo, and the Drovers took the 2-0 lead.

A double from Ian Ortiz sent McDowell home in the third inning to give USAO the 3-0 lead.

Vincent Banda got the first Saints' hit in the third inning, but the Saints could not capitalize on it.

The Drovers added one more run in the sixth, and the Saints scored to put the game at 4-2. Jack Kalisky's hit scored both Brandon Betancourt and Aiden Gonzalez. The game ended with the Drovers winning 4-2.

Kalisky led the team with two RBIs for the Saints. Devin Benavides started on the mound and pitched four innings, striking out four. Christian Perez came in on relief, pitched three innings and struck out three.

Game Two

The Saints had the momentum going into the second game on Friday. Christian Martinez reached base on a fielder's choice, sending Betancourt home to give the Saints the 1-0 lead. In the second inning, the Drovers added a run on the board after a sac fly from Ortiz sent McDowall home to tie the score at 1-1.

The Saints closed out the second inning with an explosive offense. Betancourt doubled, followed by a single from Caimyn Holiday that sent Betancourt home. Kalisky hit a triple to center field and scored Holiday. Kalisky scored on a wild pitch, and the Saints took the 4-1 lead.

USAO scored Arroyo off a triple from Martinez in the sixth inning. A sac fly from McDowall sent Martinez home. Later in the inning, Ortiz singled to send Gunnar Hansen home, and the teams were tied 4-4. A hit from Holiday to the pitcher scored Jimmy Valle, and a sac fly from Martinez scored Holiday. The Saints regained the lead at 6-4.

In the top of the seventh, the Drovers scored Ninness, and they continued to threaten the Saints' lead. With the bases loaded, Ben Bach was thrown out on an interference call running from first to second, giving the Saints the 6-5 win.

Holiday led the way for the Saints, going 3-4, adding two runs and two RBIs. Kalisky went 3-3, including a triple and a double, adding a run and an RBI.

Donovan Gamez started on the mound and went five innings, striking out six. Chase Dunn pitched 1.1 innings and earned the win.

Game Three

In the series' final game, USAO took the lead in the first inning on a double from Bach that sent Martinez and Arroyo home. OLLU's Betancourt scored after a fielder's choice from Diego Zuniga, and Jimmy Valle scored off an error by the Drovers' centerfielder. The game was tied 2-2/

The Drovers returned in the second to add two more runs after a triple from Arroyo scored Ninness, and Arroyo then scored on a passed ball. USAO added more runs to the board in the third to take the 6-2 lead. They scored again in the fourth inning after a hit from Ortiz sent Bach home. They added another run in the fifth to give them the 8-2 lead.

Holiday hit his first home run of the season in the bottom of the fifth. The game stayed at 8-3 until the seventh inning when USAO scored on a passed ball that sent Ninness home. With the Drovers leading 9-3, Kalisky hit his first home run of the season in the eighth inning.

The Drovers added five runs in the top of the ninth inning off five hits and one error. Zuniga singled to center to score Holiday to end the game with the Drovers winning 14-5.

Kalisky went 3-5, adding a run and an RBI. Holiday went 2-5, adding two runs and an RBI. Zuniga went 2-4 adding two RBIs.

Kalisky suffered the loss after starting on the mound. He pitched 2.0 innings and struck out three.

What's next

The Saints will host Wayland Baptist University on Feb. 2-3.

Hear from Head Coach Matt Piker and watch highlights