HOUSTON — After taking a bit to warm up on a day that felt like early February, the Arkansas Tech baseball team found ways to get runs across in its opener of the 2015 Houston Winter Invitational Thursday afternoon at Minute Maid Park, home of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros, but St. Mary's had an answer every time and was able to come away with a 10-5 victory.

Kris Ayers went 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored and Collin O'Neil chipped in a pair of hits for the Wonder Boys (2-3), who weren't able to get things started at the plate until well into contest. They were able to push across four runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie things up at 5-all, but the Rattlers (1-0) scored runs in each of the final three innings to pull away.

Tech went down in order in two of the first three innings, while St. Mary's was able to plate one in the second and third to pull out to a 2-0 lead. The Wonder Boys got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, as Patrick Castleberry laced a one-out double down the left field line and Ayers moved him to third with a looping single to left. Caleb McKinnon appeared to have an RBI groundout, but a balk call gave him a second chance at the plate and scored Castleberry before the Rattlers ended the threat.

St. Mary's opened things up with three runs in the top of the sixth, but the Wonder Boys responded quickly with their third inning this season of at least four runs. O'Neil
singled and Marcus Wilson followed with a walk to give Tech it's only chance at a two-on, no-out situation of the game. A Castleberry flyout moved O'Neil up, and he scored when Wilson drew the pickoff attempt and got caught in a rundown. O'Neil moved halfway home, and covered the final 45 feet when a St. Mary's fielder threw behind him to the third baseman.

After Ayers walked, McKinnon got his RBI, smashing a double into the left field corner that scored Wilson from second and nearly Ayers from first. Bryan Heward lifted a sacrifice fly to left to plate Ayers, and Mark Vaughn skipped a single up the middle to bring McKinnon home at tie the game at 5-5.

Not leading for the first time since the second inning, the Rattlers answered by scoring one in the seventh, one in the eighth and three in the top of the ninth to earn the win.
Tech starter Zach Skelton allowed six hits and five walks in 5 2/3 innings of work, and only three of his five runs were earned thanks to a pair of Wonder Boy errors.
Castleberry, McKinnon and Vaughn all went 1-for-4 at the plate, while McKinnon, Vaughn and Heward each knocked in a run.

The Wonder Boys continue in Houston Friday with a 10 a.m. start against Henderson State.