Huston-Tillotson University defeated Bethany College 7-6 on Sunday to record its first win of the 2022 season and its first win since the pandemic shut down the program in 2020. The school elected not to play baseball in 2021 as well.
The win also marks the first collegiate career win for new head baseball coach Chase Almendarez who was just hired this past December to lead the Rams baseball program.
The Rams recorded the game’s first run to open the scoring. Derrick Johnson led off the bottom of the second inning with a hit by pitch. Ulises Nuñez walked. Brian Gardner singled to left field scoring Johnson putting the Rams up 1-0.
Bethany would score four runs in the top on the 3rd inning for a 4-1 lead.
Huston-Tillotson stormed right back in the bottom of the third inning plating four runs to take a five to four lead. The big blow for the Rams in the inning came off the bat of Anthony Rios who belted a 3-run home run.
Huston-Tillotson would add two more runs to increase his lead in the bottom of the fourth inning for a 7-4 score.
Bethany made the game close by scoring two runs in the top of the fifth inning before the Rams held on for its first win of the season.
For the Rams, Derrick Johnson, Ulises Nunez, Brian Gardner, and Damian Ovalle had a hit each. Taylor Grimes was one for three scoring two runs. Anthony Rios was one for four with one home run and three runs batted in.
Rams starter, Sergio Santiago (1-0) pitched 5 innings, allowed eight hits, six earned runs and recorded 3 strikeouts. Santiago threw 75 pitches in five innings of work. Seve Medrano threw two innings and allowed just two hits to pick up the save; his first of the season.
Huston-Tillotson lost both ends of the season opening series double header against Bethany College, losing game one 10-1 and the second game 15-1.
Head coach Almendarez was hired in December 2021 to helm HTU baseball program. Earlier in 2021, Almendarez assisted Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers as the Alternate Site Operation Manager providing hitting instructions and coordination to the Rangers major league ballclub. He also served as the Manager of Baseball Operations for the Round Rock Express Minor League Baseball team and as head coach in the Texas Collegiate Summer League.
In Game 2, Huston-Tillotson scored eleven runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 11-1 lead after Bethany College scored the game’s first run in the first inning. Bethany stormed right back into the ball game, plated three runs in the third and fourth innings, tacked on four runs in both sixth and seventh inning for 15-12 lead.
The Rams would tie the game at 15-15 when they added three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The game would go into extras innings. Bethany scored two runs in the top of the 12th taking a 17-15 lead. But the Rams fought back scored two of their own in the bottom of the 12th inning to tie the game up at 17-17, but Bethany added 5 runs in the 13 innings for the 22-17 slugfest win.
The Rams are 1-3 to start the 2022 season.