MESA, Ariz. — Despite holding a 12-6 advantage in the hit column, Seattle U baseball dropped a 7-5 decision on Wednesday to No. 4-seed NM State in its opening game of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.
The Redhawks held narrow one-run leads in the third and fifth, but were unable to overcome a five-run frame from NM State in the home half of the fifth.
Kyle Sherick opened the scoring for Seattle U in third with a. base knock through the right side that pushed Gavin Rork to make it 1-0. Rork reached on a four-pitch walk before sliding into scoring position with his 21st stolen base of the year.
After NM State pushed two across the bottom half of the third, Seattle U then tied the game in the fourth as Julian Kodama made it 2-2. He was driven in by Derek Gellos who poked a two-out single through the middle. Kodama reached on a one-out single to center before advancing 90 feet on a wild pitch.
Seattle U took it's second lead of the evening in the fifth as Rork scored an unearned tally, giving the Redhawks a 3-2 advantage. After getting on with a one-out single, Rork advanced to the next station with his second steal of evening.
The margin however quickly evaporated as the Aggies took a commanding 7-3 advantage as they plated five-runs on four hits.
The Seattle U bats continued to produce late as Connor O'Brien found the gap in left-center in the seventh for a two-run triple, cutting the deficit the 7-5, as Justin Mazzone and Kodama scored on the play after both reaching with a single. From their the Redhawks offense was knocked off balance, landing only one hit during the final two frames.
On the mound, the Redhawk hurlers struggled to find the zone as the team had a season-high nine walks. Starter Morgan White suffered the loss following an uncharacteristic outing that included seven base-on-balls, while the right-hander allowed four runs on one hit with three strikeouts in four innings of work. Alex Jemal then made a four-inning relief appearance, allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts.
Despite falling short in the box score, Seattle U collectively led the way in the hit column, holding a 12-6 margin. Kodama paced the Redhawks with a 3-for-5 performance, while Mazzone and Shane Jamison were each 2-for-5 at the dish.
The Redhawks will return to action tomorrow against Utah Valley, as both teams try to stave off elimination. First pitch is slated for 11 am PT and will be available to watch on ESPN+.