EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley baseball team dropped the opening game of their three-game series with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-1 on Saturday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
 
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-11) got on the board first against junior Carter Johnson (3-1). Scott Balfantz hit a one-out double in the top of the third and then moved over to third on a passed ball. Cullen Jozwiak then delivered an RBI single making it 1-0.
 
That's all Johnson would allow until the top of the eighth when Belfantz hit an RBI double extending Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's lead to 2-0.
 
Johnson took the tough luck loss after pitching eight innings while scattering six hits and striking out eight.
 
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi added two more runs in the top of the ninth off of reliever Luis Acosta to push their lead to 4-0.
 
UTRGV (10-5) got their lone run of the ball game in the bottom of the ninth. A couple of walks against reliever David Worrell followed by a single by senior Jose Garcia, who finished 3-for-5 in the ball game, loaded up the bases. A wild pitch allowed junior Cris Castillo to score to cap the scoring.
 
Devin Skapura (1-1) earned the win after tossing eight scoreless innings.
 
With the loss, UTRGV now trails Texas A&M-Corpus Christ 30-19 in the South Texas Showdown, Presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union.
 
UTRGV and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will continue their three-game series Sunday at 12 p.m. in a game that will be televised throughout Texas on Spectrum Sports Channel 323. Gates open at 11 a.m. 

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