BOX SCORE

SAN ANTONIO – Brett David lost his redshirt, but won the game.

Playing for Angelo State for the first time, David delivered the game-winning hit in the top of the ninth inning and Michael Weatherly came in to strikeout the side as the Rams beat No. 4 St. Mary's University 6-5 on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. The win moves the Rams to 5-0 on the season - a mark that is the best in the program's eight-year history.

“I was just thinking I needed to come through for the team,” David said. “I battled a couple of pitches off and got a good pitch that I just tried to put in play. I had some first-game jitters for sure, but it really was all about helping the team out anyway that I could.”

David, a freshman from El Paso, went 2-for-3 including a single in the ninth to score Blaine Perkins to cap a comeback that once was a wide as 5-2 in favor of the Rattlers. His appearance in the game and this season only happened after an injury forced starting second baseman Doug Snover from the game in the third inning.

“We were going to redshirt him and the only reason we brought him (to San Antonio) was in case something happened and we needed to put him in for defensive purposes,” ASU head coach Kevin Brooks said. “He wasn't going to make the trip to Arkansas this weekend and probably wouldn't have played at all this season if he hadn't come in. He was our only infielder left and we needed him. I told him that I wouldn't do it unless I believed he could contribute and he did that big time.”

Weatherly, a junior transfer from Eastfield College, earned his first win as a Ram in his second appearance. The Mesquite native threw one inning in Saturday's 2-0 win over Ouachita Baptist for the save, but didn't show his dominance as a pitcher until Tuesday. Weatherly, who was set up by two innings of great pitching by Austin Church, came into the game for one out in the eighth inning before slamming the door shut on the Rattlers in the ninth with three straight strikeouts.

“It was intense for me as soon as Brett got that hit and I knew that I was going to be the guy to come in and shut down the game,” Weatherly said. “I love coming into the game with that pressure on me, and I felt good from the first pitch thrown. I was feeling every pitch I threw in the inning.”

Angelo State trailed most of the game after St. Mary's M.P. Cokinos delivered a three-run home run off of ASU starter Jake Feckley in the third inning. Tate Allison made a dent in the deficit with an RBI sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to score Andrew LaCombe and Semler scored in the fifth off a double steal. St. Mary's would add two runs in the sixth to go ahead 5-2 before an Allison double led off the seventh and scored on another double steal. Quaid McKinnon and Brett Parsons each added RBI to tie the game at 5-5 and set up David's heroics in the ninth. Perkins, a redshirt freshman from Groesbeck, had his first hit as a Ram in the ninth to get on base and score on the hit.

“We feel like our offense is really good and that's it's just a matter of time before we start scoring some runs,” Brooks said. “Tate's double was big and gave us momentum and eventually led us to winning the game. We grinded this win out by battling through some rough places and mistakes. It was just a total team win.”

Nine Rams collected hits in the 10-hit game, while Feckley threw 5.2 innings in his first start since high school. Feckley struck out five and allowed six hits before leaving the game. Josh McElroy led St. Mary's (3-1) with three hits, while Cokinos' home run was his third of the season and the Rattlers' offensive highlight. Matt McClain took the loss after pitching 2.1 innings of baseball against the Rams.

ASU returns to action at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Friday against Arkansas-Monticello and then Southern Arkansas in Magnolia, Ark. The Rams improved to 11-5 all-time against the 2001 Division II National Champions.


Additional Quotes

ASU head coach Kevin Brooks

On his assessment of the Rams through the first five games of the season:
This group shows up and competes every day. They are winners and good kids. They are tough mentally and physically. Who knows what is going to happen this season, but I'm very confident that they are going to come out playing hard every single game.

On Austin Church's pitching performance against the Rattlers:
He is the unsung hero coming in with the score at 5-2 and kept us in the game and a chance to make our comeback. He did a great job of locating his pitches and throwing strikes in pressure situations.

On Michael Weatherly's pitching performance against the Rattlers:
He got his jitters out this weekend and he came in here against St. Mary's and was himself. He's a shutdown pitcher and did a great job in a big moment for us.


Michael Weatherly  //  ASU junior pitcher

On what he wants his teammates and ASU fans to think when he enters the game:
I want them to know that they can count on me and that when I come into the game that the other team is not going to score. I want everyone to be worry free and confident that we are going to get the win.

On the Rams' mentality through five games:
We are excited about the wins, but more excited about getting better. We didn't get off to a good start here and feel like we got away with one. It was a good team win, but we have to get better to keep winning games.