ABILENE, Texas – St. Thomas baseball team wrapped up its opening weekend on the road with a split against Hardin-Simmons on Saturday in Abilene. The Celts claimed a 7–5 win in the opener before dropping the nightcap, 13–3, in seven innings. With the split, UST moves to 1–2 overall as the Celts prepare to turn their attention to conference play.
Game 1: UST 7, Hardin-Simmons 5
St. Thomas struck first in the opener, taking the lead in the second inning when Jace Christian singled to right field to drive in a run. Hardin-Simmons answered with a pair of sacrifice flies over the next two innings to briefly move ahead, but the Celts responded with a momentum-shifting fifth inning.
Sam Lampson evened the score by coming home on a wild pitch before UST capitalized on pressure on the basepaths. Miguel Acosta, Tyler Mills, and Gabe Garner all crossed the plate during a pivotal sequence that included additional wild pitches and a throwing error, allowing the Celts to push ahead 5–2. Jon Torres added to the advantage later in the inning with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to four.
The Cowboys trimmed the deficit with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth, but St. Thomas answered once more in the seventh. Torres delivered again, this time with an RBI single to left center to give the Celts valuable insurance. Hardin-Simmons added one run in the seventh, but UST held on to secure the win.
Game 2: Hardin-Simmons 13, UST 3 (7 innings)
The Celts carried their energy into the nightcap, jumping out to an early lead behind Miguel Acosta. Acosta opened the scoring in the first inning with an RBI single down the left-field line to bring home Sam Lampson, then followed it up in the third with an RBI double to right center to make it 2–0.
Hardin-Simmons responded with a big third inning to take the lead, but St. Thomas continued to battle. Justin Ogle came through in the fourth with an RBI single to center field, pulling the Celts within one at 4–3. The Cowboys pulled away over the middle innings with timely hits and extra-base damage, eventually building a lead that ended the game after seven innings.
Despite the loss in the finale, the Celts showed offensive consistency throughout the day and closed nonconference play with momentum heading into league action.
Up Next
St. Thomas turns its focus to conference play and will open SCAC action at home on February 13, welcoming Hendrix College to Don Sanders Stadium for the 2026 home opener. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. as the Celts look to build on their early-season progress.
