One Costly Inning Haunts Tigers In Series Opener at Incarnate Word

SAN ANTONIO – A tightly contested game unraveled in the eighth as Incarnate Word defeated TSU in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.

TSU struck first as they loaded the bases in the top of the first as Dean Salazar drew an RBI walk for the early 1-0 lead. The Tigers missed a key opportunity to set the tone as that would be the lone run due to three consecutive strikeouts. UIW answered in the bottom frame with a two-out RBI to knot the contest at 1-all and claimed a 2-1 lead in the second after a sac fly.

Both teams remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth as the two-out bug struck again for TSU. With two outs and a runner on first, a passed ball and subsequent wild pitch moved the UIW runner to third. Immediately after the passed ball, UIW singled up the middle for the 3-1 advantage. TSU attempted to answer in the sixth with runners on first and second and one out but failed to capitalize.

The score remained the same until the bottom of the eighth as TSU opened the inning with back-to-back hit batters which led to an RBI double. The next batter walked followed by a three-RBI triple which put the game away as UIW scored nine runs in the frame.

Jordan Vidato led TSU with a 2-for-3 outing at the plate while Tyson Thompson, Nic Garza and Tyrese Clayborne all had hits. Kam Fields (0-2) struck out eight in five innings of action on the mound.

The series resumes at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.