HOUSTON,TX- St. Thomas Celts (14-11, 12-6 SCAC) opened their three-game conference series against Texas Lutheran with a 15-12 victory Thursday night at Constellation Field.

St. Thomas jumped to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Tyler Mills scored on Dillon McKee's RBI single, followed by Dylan Lamb's sacrifice fly and Gabe Garner's run-scoring single. Texas Lutheran responded with six unanswered runs across the second and third innings to take a 6-3 lead. The Bulldogs capitalized on a two-run triple and a pair of Celts errors during their rally.

The game turned in the bottom of the third when St. Thomas sent 13 batters to the plate in a nine-run explosion. The Celts strung together five hits, drew three walks, and took advantage of defensive miscues. 

After TLU tied the game at 10-10 with a grand slam in the fifth, the Celts answered with three runs in the bottom half. McKee and Garner delivered RBI singles before Sam Lampson's run-scoring hit gave St. Thomas the lead for good. McKee provided insurance with a two-run homer in the eighth, his fourth hit of the night. The senior finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored.

Texas Lutheran mounted a ninth-inning rally, scoring twice, but Kameron Craig closed the door to preserve the victory.

Up Next:
The series concludes Friday with a doubleheader at Constellation Field beginning at 4PM. For more updates follow @USTCeltbaseball.