TEMPLE, Texas – Fresh off a three-game weekend sweep at Belhaven in Mississippi, the University of St. Thomas baseball team continued its winning ways upon returning to the Lone Star State as the Celts clobbered Howard Payne 11-4 Tuesday.
The Celts (6-10) hit three home runs in three consecutive innings as they ran their winning streak to four games with the non-conference win over Howard Payne.
Dylan Lamb's solo, inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the fifth inning stretched UST's lead to 5-0 and ended up being the game-winning run. Kyle Bearden hit a two-run home run during a three-run sixth, which was followed by Knight Newcomb hitting a three-run blast in the seventh inning, giving him four RBIs for the afternoon.
In addition to his home run, Lamb opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with an RBI single that scored Bearden. Lamb, Bearden, Leo Galvan and Jason Brown each had two hits in the game.
Nine different pitchers tossed an inning apiece for the Celts in their mid-week game, with Cole Grimes getting credit for the win while striking out two batters.
The Celts' four-game winning streak over NCAA Division III opponents is the longest such streak in program history, and the second longest overall winning streak since UST revived its baseball program in time for the 2020 season. The Celts opened 2021 with 10 consecutive wins, though eight of those wins were against Arlington Baptist and Dallas Christian College, two schools unaffiliated with either the NCAA or NAIA.
Howard Payne fell to 5-14 with the loss. The Yellow Jackets are now 3-3 against opponents from the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference; the Celts became the first SCAC team to defeat them in a single, midweek game this season.
Tuesday's game was played on a neutral field at Temple College, with UST serving as the home team.
The Celts return to action this weekend when they open SCAC play in Kerrville, Texas, with a three-game series at Schreiner. Friday's contest is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
