ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' baseball team won its season opener against St. Thomas, 16-15, in a wild 11-inning, four-hour contest to give head coach Mitch Wilson his first career win.
 
The Cowboys received a bases-loaded infield single by Knox Wilson in the bottom of the 11^th to win the game, which featured 31 runs, 36 hits and nine errors. It was Wilson's first start as a Cowboy and he finished the game with three hits.
 
Sophomore transfer Justin Blancaflor was the all-around star of the game for the Cowboys as he hit a grand slam, a three-run home run and had a sacrifice fly to drive in eight runs. He also had a highlight reel diving catch in center field to save two runs.
 
The Cowboys used six pitchers in the contest. Jace Martinez worked four innings and allowed just three hits. Caleb Smith worked an inning, Guy George pitched two innings, Johnny Follett worked an inning, Jackson Smith worked one-third of an inning.
 
After St. Thomas had scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game at 15, freshman Brady Bennett came on with a runner at third and one out and got a ground out and strike out to get out of the jam. He worked two more scoreless innings to earn the win in his first career appearance.
 
After UST scored a run in the first the Cowboys came back with two runs in the first on a Brock Calvillo RBI fielder's choice and another run scored on an error. Bryson Baer had an RBI double and Jacob Hollingsworth had an RBI single in the second to make it 4-2.
 
Alex Trinh had a two-run single for UST in the third and Blancaflor answered with his grand slam to make it 8-3 in the third. Tyler Mills hit a two-run home run for the Celts and Wilson had an RBI single for HSU to make it 9-5. UST scored three times in the fifth and Blancaflor had a sacrifice fly and two more runs scored on wild pitches to push the Cowboy lead to 12-8 in the fifth.
 
UST scored two more in the seventh inning and Blancaflor had his three-run home run in the eighth inning to make the score 15-10 in the eighth. UST tied the game in the ninth on a two-run triple by Dylan Lamb.
 
Luke Kirkbride led the Cowboys with four hits, Wilson, Baylan Vaughan and Hollingsworth had three hits each for HSU. Jarod Smith led the Celts with three hits.
 
The two teams will play a noon doubleheader on Saturday at Hunter Field.
 
--- www.hsuathletics.com ---