BRONCS DROP OPENER

EDINBURG, TX--In the ninth inning of their 2004 season opener, The University of Texas-Pan American's baseball team nearly dug themselves out of a hole that they spent the first part of the game digging for themselves.

However, a four-run comeback in the ninth inning fell just short as the Broncs lost to Texas State-San Marcos, 8-7, at the Edinburg Baseball Stadium Saturday evening.

Trailing, 8-3 at the start of the ninth inning, Texas-Pan American mounted a comeback. Sophomore right fielder Otis Powers (Brownsville, TX/Rivera HS) led off with a walk. Junior outfielder Alfred Padron (Pasadena, TX/Pasadena HS/Alvin CC) pinch-ran and advanced to second on an infield out. Sophomore left fielder Louie Alamia (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg North HS) was hit by a pitch and sophomore second baseman T.J. Gilmer (Forney, TX/Forney HS) walked to load the bases.

Junior center fielder Tony Ortiz (Fort Worth, TX/Nolan HS) hit a sacrifice fly against reliever Brian Hurley, and junior designated hitter Juan Saenz (Mission, TX/Mission HS) beat out an infield grounder to load the bases. Freshman first baseman Ryan Grimet (Pearland, TX/Pearland HS) singled to drive in two runs and senior third baseman Matt Sisk (Fort Worth, TX/Arlington Heights HS/New Mexico) reached on an error, but Hurley got senior catcher Ben DiOrio (Canon City, CO/Canon City HS/Seward County CC) to fly out to end the game.

The Broncs scored their first three runs in the third. Junior catcher Matt Eichel (Grapevine, TX/Grapevine HS) and junior shortstop Ricky Broyles (Longview, TX/Spring Hill HS/Northeast Texas CC) singled, Gilmer singled for the first run, and left fielder Matt Miller dropped Saenz' sacrifice fly to allow two more runs to score.

Richard Martinez drove in TSU's first run in the first inning with an infield single. Martinez' single made it 2-0 in the third, and two more runs crossed on Sisk's throwing error. Mark Cooper's triple and an error by Sisk allowed the Bobcats to score twice more in the fourth, and Miller's run-scoring single and an RBI double by Martinez accounted for Texas State's final two runs in the eighth.

"We fought back, it was a great comeback, we were one hit away from a tie or a win," said UTPA Head Coach Willie Gawlik. "We put ourselves in a hole because we didn't play good defense. We made five errors and we had a couple of guys picked off. We just made too many mistakes to win the ballgame. I thought (freshman) Phillip Rodriguez (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg North HS) and (junior) Nick Gregory (Mesquite, TX/North Mesquite HS/Angelina College) pitched pretty well. Rodriguez pitched a scoreless ninth inning, and Gregory allowed a single earned run in four innings.

Paul Schappert, who started for the Bobcats, earned the victory, while UTPA senior starter Tommy Sorden (Austin, TX/Bowie HS/Navarro College) took the loss. The teams will conclude their two-game series Sunday afternoon.