Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team scored four runs in the eighth to come from behind and beat the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits 8-7 on Sunday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium and take the series 3-to-1.
The Vaqueros (6-7) trailed 7-4 with one out in the eighth when junior Jacob Hirshdoubled and graduate student Andy Atwood singled to put runners on the corners against Bret Barnett (0-3). A wild pitch scored a run and advanced Atwood to second. Senior Conrado Diaz hit an RBI-single on the next pitch and then senior Christian Sepulveda singled to knock out Barnett. Junior Freddy Rojas Jr. greeted Drew Beazley with an RBI-single to tie the game. A wild pitch then scored Sepulveda to give the Vaqueros the lead.
That made a winner of junior Edinburg alum John Henry Gonzalez (1-1), who struck out two in the eighth.
Junior Ricky Gerik Jr. struck out one in a perfect ninth for his first save.
Diaz finished 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBI. Atwood went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Hirsh finished 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs scored.
The Vaqueros jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first as senior Coleman Grubbs scored on a wild pitch.
The Jackrabbits (2-9) scored the next six runs of the game, though, starting in the second when Luke Ira homered and Landon Badger hit an RBI-double. Beazley hit an RBI-double in the third. In the fourth, Braeden Brown hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded, but after the out was recorded at the plate, the throw to first sailed into right field, allowing two runs to score and Brown to advance to third. Ryan McDonald followed with an RBI-single to make the score 6-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Vaqueros drew four-straight walks with two outs, the last of which was by Atwood to force-in a run. Diaz followed with a two-run single to bring the Vaqueros within 6-4.
Three UTRGV relievers combined for three hitless innings, as juniors Tyler Kisner, Deryk Serbantez and Chase Bridges racked up a total of four strikeouts.
In the eighth, however, a walk and a double set-up a run-scoring wild pitch to extend the Jackrabbits’ lead to 7-4.
UTRGV opens up a four-game series against NJIT on Friday at 7 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium. It’s Retro Night. UTRGV Athletics is throwing it back to the 1980s with music, trivia, and lots of hair spray. Current UTRGV faculty and staff can get two free tickets with an employee ID. If UTRGV wins, fans can take home a buy one, get one free Raising Cane’s box combo coupon. Current UTRGV students receive free admission to all UTRGV home games with a 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.
