GEORGETOWN, Texas — Southwestern baseball got great production from the middle of its lineup to earn its first conference victory, defeating the Austin College Kangaroos 10-5 to open the three-game series.
James Vaquero, Jacob Tanner, and Henry Fisher combined to hit 8-for-15 with four RBIs and two runs scored from the lineup's four, five, and six spots.
The trio led an offense that wore Austin College down with paper cuts, delivering single after single for 12 hits, moving runners into scoring position with five stolen bases, including three by Tate Winfield, who scored two runs.
Both teams went back-and-forth in the first three innings before Southwestern broke the game open late.
Maxwell Mims opened the game with a single to right field, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Trent Raschke followed with a walk, putting runners on the corners. However, the fast start was slowed by Preston Witt grounding into a double play, scoring Mims.
Austin College responded with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Southwestern starting pitcher Travis Harvey induced a groundout and strike out for two quick outs. Still, Austin College responded with three consecutive hits, stringing together a Branson Vrazel infield single, Jake Webster RBI-double to left field, and Scott Hosmer RBI single to left field.
Southwestern scored two runs on an error by Austin College's first baseman Jake Trapani to retake the lead in the second inning. However, the advantage was short-lived, with Austin College's Sergio De Paoli hitting a two-RBI double in the bottom of the inning.
The Pirates loaded the bases with one out on a hit batter and two singles, scoring two runs on Christian Melillo's groundout to third and Alexander Cannata's infield single.
Austin College's Trapani tied the game with an RBI single to shortstop, scoring Webster, who reached on an infield single and advanced to third on Hosmer's double to right-center.
Southwestern took the lead for good in the top of the sixth inning. Tate Winfield and Raschke drew walks, setting up Vaquero's two-out RBI single to center field. Tanner and Fisher followed with back-to-back RBI singles for the 8-5 lead.
Gregory Ferguson replaced Harvey to start the sixth inning, ending his day with five runs surrendered on nine hits with two walks and nine strikeouts. Ferguson was solid in four scoreless innings of work, surrendering only six hits with no walks.
The Pirates added two more runs in the seventh. Winfield scored on a passed ball that allowed Mims to reach first on a swinging strikeout, and Vaquero drove in Mims with an RBI single to center field.
Southwestern improves to 9-12 with a 1-6 conference record. The Pirates and Kangaroos will resume playing with a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 1:00 p.m.