GAME ONE BOX
GAME TWO BOX

HOUSTON, Texas- The University of Texas-Pan American baseball team split a Great West Conference doubleheader with in-state rival Houston Baptist on Saturday afternoon at Husky Field. The Broncs (19-18, 8-7) won the early game 10-2 in the scheduled seven innings, but the Huskies (11-31, 9-6) rallied back from a 9-1 deficit in the nightcap to beat UTPA 13-12 in 10 innings.

In Game one the Broncs scored the first 10 runs of the game and held on for the eight run victory. The Broncs scored three runs in the second to kick off the scoring in the opener.

Vincent Mejia belted a homer down the left field line for the first run of the game. Four batters later, Tom Sicking singled to center field, scoring Iradier Hernandez to put the Broncs up 2-0. Next batter up was Alex Carnall, his single up the middle scored Stuart MacInnes to put UTPA ahead 3-0 after two.

The Broncs took advantage of a pair of Husky errors in the fourth and added four runs in the fourth to push the lead to 7-0. Angel Ibañez capped off the inning with a double to the gap in left-center that scored Tom McCarthy for the seventh run of the game for UTPA.

In the fifth MacInnes smacked his second homer of the season to left to put UTPA up 8-0. The Broncs capped off their scoring with a pair of runs in the sixth. Both runs came in on Sicking's double down the right field line, which gave the Broncs a 10-0 advantage

The Huskies added single runs in the sixth and seventh innings, including a solo homer from DH Robbie Buller, but could not mount a rally.

A.J. Franco (W, 3-0) picked up the victory for the Broncs allowing one earned run on five Husky hits in his six innings of work. It was Franco's first start of the season. Husky starter Jamie Storey (L, 0-7) took the game one loss by giving up six runs, four earned, in three innings of work.

In the second game, the Broncs saw a 9-1 lead evaporate, as the Huskies chipped away in the late innings and won the game in the bottom of the 10th to win their first game of the series.

It appeared the Broncs were going to make short work of the Huskies in game two as they picked up nine runs and 10 hits in the first five innings.

The Broncs scored four runs in the first, including RBI hits by Mejia, Hernandez, and Roger Bernal. The Broncs added a run in the fourth on an Ibañez RBI single making the score 5-1 UTPA. Sicking, Adrian De La Rosa, and Ibañez added RBI hits in the fifth to increase the UTPA lead to 9-1 after the first four and one-half innings.

The Huskies rallied for a pair of runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Beau Warren to cut the deficit to 9-3. In the sixth HBU added four more runs to pull within two at 9-7.

The Broncs appeared to re-gain control in the seventh scoring three runs on RBI hits by Ibañez and Mejia, pushed the Broncs back in front 12-7.

In the eighth, Garrett Tully's RBI single scored a pair of Huskies, and the tying run in a five run inning for HBU which knotted the game up at 12-12.

In the 10th Luke Clements led off the inning with a double to right-center, he then scored on Tully's RBI single to win the game for HBU.

Leo Chang (L, 0-1) took the loss in relief for UTPA allowing two earned runs in his two innings of work, walking three and striking out two. Stephen Nikonchik (W, 2-3) picked up the relief victory for HBU, pitching two scoreless innings and allowed just two Bronc hits.

The two schools will wrap up the weekend series on Sunday afternoon at Husky Field with a 12:05 PM first pitch scheduled. Cody Plunk (1-4, 5.80 ERA) will take the ball for the Broncs while the Huskies counter with Kyle Dickerson (2-0, 5.74 ERA).