SAN ANGELO, Texas – A go-ahead, seventh-inning pinch-hit home run paired with dominant relief pitching lifted the No. 14 Angelo State baseball team to a 16-11 win over Cameron on Friday night at Foster Field at 1st Community Credit Union Stadium.
With the victory, the Rams extend their win streak to six games, improving to 33-14 overall and 14-10 at home.
Cameron opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first inning, but the Rams answered in the second. A double steal forced an errant throw that brought home
Tate Greene, and
Hunter Holt followed with a groundout to score
Brett Smajstrla and give ASU a 2-1 lead.
Clayton Broeder made the start for the Rams, tossing two innings while giving up two earned runs on four hits while striking out four.
The Aggies regained control in the third inning, capitalizing on a throwing error and a fielding miscue to plate four runs and take a 5-2 advantage
Angelo State responded immediately. With the bases loaded, another Cameron error cut the deficit to two before Greene cleared the bases with a triple to left-center field, putting the Rams back in front.
Cameron answered again in the fourth, using a two-out fielding error to bring in multiple runs and reclaim a 9-7 lead.
After a brief lull, the Rams pulled within one in the fifth on Greene's RBI single. Cameron extended its lead back to three with a two-RBI double in the next half inning.
From there, the Rams took over.
Chase Pendley ignited the rally in the sixth inning with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot over the left-field wall. In the seventh,
Cooper Knight tied the game with a bunt that scored the runner from third before
Christian Garnette delivered the decisive blow—a three-run pinch-hit home run to left-center, his second in as many home series.
Pendley added an RBI single to extend the lead, and
Garrett Wallace capped the scoring with an RBI double down the left-field line
Garrett Baumann earned the win in relief, tossing the final five innings. The right-hander allowed two earned runs on three hits with four walks while striking out 10, improving to 9-4 on the season.
The Rams continue the series against the Aggies on Saturday, April 25, with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m.