March 5, 2006

Box Score

The UTPA baseball team allowed 10 runs in the first inning and never recovered, dropping the final game of a three-game series with Sam Houston State on Sunday (Mar. 5), 18-7.

Bronc starter Ronnie Morales (Great Falls, MT/Barton County C.C.) lasted just 1/3 of an inning, allowing six earned runs on four hits and two walks. Morales was followed by Ray Silva (Clearlake, CA/Santa Rosa J.C.) who failed to record an out, walking two batters and hitting one, while allowing three earned runs. Aaron Guerra (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg H.S.) finished the inning and was responsible for the 10th run to score in the inning.

Down 10-0 going in to their first at-bat, the Broncs came out fighting as Jason Buhagiar (Penngrove, CA/Santa Rosa J.C.) and Osiel Flores (Mission, TX/UT-Brownsville) were both hit by pitches on consecutive at-bats. Cesar Pena (Harlingen, TX/Harlingen South H.S.) lined a single to left field to load the bases for Patrick Brooks (Vallejo, CA/Santa Rosa J.C.). Brooks then blasted a pitch over the left field fence for a grand slam. The home run was his second of the season.

The Bearkats added two runs in the third inning, three in the fourth and three more in the fifth to build their lead to 18-4 after five. SHSU touched Guerra for eight runs, seven earned, on 11 hits over four innings. The Broncs put up three runs in the bottom of the sixth on a bases-loaded double to left-center off the bat of Buhagiar.

Chad Linder (Reklaw, TX/Rusk H.S.) pitched 3 2/3 innings in relief, striking out six and allowing one earned run on five hits and zero walks. Alex Guajardo (La Joya, TX/La Joya H.S.) pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Broncs, allowing one hits and one walk while striking out two.

Brooks finished the game 1-for-2 at the plate with one run scored and four runs batted in. Buhagiar was 2-for-4 in the game with one run scored and three RBI. Pena also enjoyed a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 and scoring one run.

The loss drops Morales to 0-1 on the season while Casey Springer improved to 2-2 on the season for the Bearkats.

The Broncs' record now stands at 8-9 for the season while Sam Houston State improved to 7-7. UTPA won the season series against the Bearkats four games to two.

UTPA plays again on Tuesday (Mar. 7) in San Antonio, TX as they take on the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners at 2:00 p.m. in the first game of an 18-game road swing.

UTPA Sports Information