Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team endured its first loss of the season, falling to the Kansas State University Wildcats 4-0 on Sunday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
The Vaqueros (2-1) had their best chance to score in the eighth when they loaded the bases with two outs on a single by junior Freddy Rojas Jr. and two hit batsmen. Tyler Eckberg entered the game and got senior Christian Sepulveda to fly out. Eckberg retired three of the four batters he faced in the ninth to record the save.
The Vaqueros had three baserunners in on other inning, against Jordan Wicks (1-0) in the second. Sepulveda singled with one out. After he was picked off, senior Elijah Alexander singled and junior Darian Luper was plunked, but a strikeout ended the inning.
The Vaqueros had two other hits against Wicks – a one-out double by senior Conrado Diaz in the fourth and a leadoff single by senior Coleman Grubbs in the sixth. Grubbs’ hit was followed by a hit batsman, but Wicks retired the final six batters he faced.
Wicks finished with seven strikeouts in seven innings.
The Wildcats (1-2) got on the board in the fourth when Dylan Phillips launched a two-run home run against junior Mission Veterans Memorial alum Christian Ramos (0-1) into the new corral beyond the right-field wall.
The Wildcats added two more in the fifth on a triple by Zach Kokoska and a single by Cameron Thompson.
Junior Tyler Kisner came in out of the bullpen to settle things down, pitching 2.1 innings of hitless ball, striking out two. Junior Ricky Gerik Jr. followed with two strikeouts in two scoreless innings.
UTRGV and Kansas State complete this four-game series on Monday at 7 p.m. during Friends and Family Night. Fans can purchase four tickets, four hot dogs, four bags of chips and four drinks for just $34. Current UTRGV students get free general admission with a valid UTRGV student ID. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at UTRGVTickets.com. Fans purchasing their tickets online prior to game day can save up to $2 per ticket. Gates open at 6.
