March 10, 2006
Box Score
The Broncs handed fellow NCAA Division I Independent Dallas Baptist a 21-9 loss thanks to 19 base hits and a solid effort from starting pitcher Dane Mason (Marlton, NJ/Oklahoma State).
On Friday (Mar. 10), the UTPA baseball team put up its highest run total since the 2001 season when the Broncs scored 26 runs in a victory over Texas A&M - Corpus Christi.
UTPA scored in each of the first six innings, beginning with two runs in the top of the first when Louie Alamia (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg H.S.) led the game off with a double and was immediately followed by an RBI double off the bat of Jason Buhagiar (Penngrove, CA/Santa Rosa J.C.). Buhagiar then advanced on a fly ball to center field and then scored on a shallow sacrifice fly to left-center field by Patrick Brooks (Vallejo, CA/Santa Rosa J.C.).
The Patriots pulled within one with a run in the bottom of the first but the Broncs answered with two more runs in the top of the second inning. In the third, Brooks led off the inning with his third home run of the season. Later in the inning, Leighton Autrey (Stephenville, TX/Navarro J.C.) collected his second hit of the game and drove in the Broncs' sixth run.
Leading 6-4 heading in to the fourth, the Broncs pulled away for good with a 10-run outburst that included five hits, two walks and three hit batters. Every Bronc hit in the inning was an extra-base hit as they collected four doubles and one triple. At the end of the inning, UTPA had built a 16-4 lead. The Broncs weren't done scoring as they added three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Alamia enjoyed a tremendous night at the plate, going 5-for-6 with two runs scored and four runs batted in. Alamia had one double and two triples, tying him for the most triples in a game in UTPA program history.
Autrey collected four hits in five plate appearances and drove in four runs while scoring three. He finished the game with two doubles. Blake Whittlesey (Marble Falls, TX/UT-Brownsville) had a good night for the Broncs, scoring a game-high four runs and driving in two while going 2-for-3 at the plate.
Brooks was 2-for-3 with a walk, scoring two and knocking in three. T.J. Gilmer (Forney, TX/Forney H.S.) scored three runs while collecting two hits and walking twice.
Mason pitched seven innings for UTPA to earn his third victory in as many starts, upping his season record to 3-2. The senior right-hander allowed six runs, three earned, on nine hits while striking out six and walking none.
UTPA improved its record to 9-11 on the season while DBU fell to 11-8.
The Broncs and Patriots conclude their three-game series in Dallas, TX on Saturday (Mar. 11) at 12:00 p.m.
UTPA Sports Information
