Bulldogs fall to UHV in national baseball opener

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - After chipping away for much of the day, fifth-seeded Houston-Victoria (Texas) exploded for six runs in the seventh inning to hand No. 4 Union a 10-7 loss in the first game of the double elimination NAIA National Tournament Opening Round on Monday.

Things started off perfectly for the Bulldogs, as Hazel Martinez rode the momentum of his MVP performance at the AAC Tournament with a two-run home run in the first inning. As he was in Kingsport, Martinez proved to be an almost impossible out, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

After the Jaguars rallied to tie the game, a Colton Stegman RBI in the fourth inning briefly put the Bulldogs back on top 3-2. But the Jags immediately took control after a Zach Lee home run tied the game in the top of the fifth.

Houston-Victoria took its first lead in the sixth on a Raul Lopez sacrifice fly then put it away in the seventh, with all six of its runs coming with two outs. The Bulldogs didn't help their case, committing three of their season-high five errors during the Jaguar scoring rally to put themselves in a 10-3 hole.

Union was able to make things interesting. The Bulldogs scored three runs in the seventh inning and another in the eighth. They even brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the eighth, only for Jaguar pitcher Justin Mireles to escape the bases-loaded jam.

Outside of Martinez, the bottom of the order was the most potent part of the Union lineup with 7-8-9 hitters Sammy Serrano, Nick Seelman and Luke Pell going a combined 7-for-12 at the plate.

The Bulldogs will look to keep their season alive tomorrow when they face Texas Wesleyan in the loser's bracket at 11 a.m. EST. The second-seeded Rams lost 20-8 to third-seed Ave Maria Monday.