VICTORIA, Texas – The St. Thomas Celts baseball team battled back from multiple deficits to secure an 11-8 victory in 10 innings over the University of Houston-Victoria on Monday night. The win improves the Celts to 9-7 overall as they continue to build momentum heading into conference play.
The Celts struck first in the top of the first inning when Dylan Lamb doubled to right field, driving in Alex Trinh and allowing Jarod Smith to score on an error, giving St. Thomas an early 1-0 lead. However, UHV responded in the bottom of the frame, scoring three runs to take a 3-1 advantage.
St. Thomas chipped away in the top of the second, as Tyler Mills singled to right field, driving in Eduardo Tamez to cut the deficit to 3-2. UHV added another run in the bottom of the second, but the Celts fought back in the fourth inning. Alex Trinh singled to right field, scoring Tamez, and Dylan Lamb followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 4-4.
The Jaguars regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three runs to make it 7-4. The Celts responded in the top of the seventh when Eduardo Tamez hit a fly, driving in Aryan Chopra to narrow the gap to 7-5.
In the top of the eighth, St. Thomas mounted a thrilling rally. Ryan Ratajczak singled to center field, driving in Gabe Garner and Brandon Duque to tie the game at 7-7. Aryan Chopra then advanced on a wild pitch, allowing Sam Lampson to score and giving the Celts an 8-7 lead. UHV tied the game again in the bottom of the eighth, sending the contest into extra innings.
The Celts' offense came alive in the top of the 10th. Anthony Benavidez singled to drive in Dylan Lamb, and Ryan Ratajczak followed with an RBI single to score Gabe Garner. Eduardo Tamez reached on an error, allowing Benavidez to score and extending the lead to 11-8. The Celts' held firm in the bottom of the 10th, securing the hard-fought victory.
Up Next
The Celts will shift their focus back to conference play as they take on McMurry University in a three-game series. The series begins with a single game on Friday, March 21, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, March 22. Follow all the action and updates by following @USTCeltbaseball on Instagram.
