BOX SCORE GM 1
BOX SCORE GM 2

GRAND FORKS, North Dakota - The University of Texas-Pan American baseball team split a doubleheader with the University of North Dakota on Friday afternoon at Kraft Field. The Sioux (10-33) won the first game 7-3 and the Broncs (21-29) took the second half of the doubleheader 7-4. Today's doubleheader was scheduled late Thursday with threat of inclement weather over the weekend. The Broncs 50-game regular season came to an end today.

In the opener, the Broncs rallied from a 4-0 deficit to pull within one in the fifth inning, but the Sioux scored three unanswered runs to clinch the victory.

North Dakota got on the scoreboard first, putting up three runs in their half of the first inning. Josh Ray drove in first run with an RBI single to right-field. The next batter-up was Kris Kwak. Kwak's double to the gap in right-center drove in a pair of runs to give UND the 3-0 advantage. The Sioux added their fourth run with a Ryan Gerber RBI single in the second.

The Broncs began a rally in the fourth inning. Vinnie Mejia doubled to left-center to drive in Angel Ibañez for the Broncs first run. Two batters later, Brandon Roush singled to centerfield to score Mejia to cut the deficit in half at 4-2. Mike McCarthy added an RBI double to left center in the fifth to pull UTPA within a run at 4-3.

The Sioux added insurance runs with two in the seventh and one in the eighth to put the game out of reach for UTPA.

Zach Ransom (W, 2-2) earned the game one victory allowing three earned runs on nine hits in 6.1 innings of work. Ransom walked one and struck out four. Jonathan Delgado (L, 2-5) took the defeat for UTPA. Delgado went 6.2 innings on Friday with 11 hits allowed and five strikeouts. David Spies earned his first save pitching 2.2 innings of relief with four strikeouts and one hit allowed.

In the nightcap the Broncs ran out to a 4-0 lead and held off a sixth inning rally by the Sioux to win their regular season finale.

Adrian De La Rosa came to the plate with two-on and two-out in the second and singled to right to drive in a pair of runs and put UTPA up 2-0. A sacrifice fly by McCarthy and an RBI single by Alex Carnall in the fifth pushed the UTPA lead to 4-0.

The Sioux rallied for three runs in the sixth to cut the UND deficit to one. A Zach Zouzalik pitch to lead off the frame hit Ray, he scored on the RBI double by Kwak for the Sioux's first run. Zack Trygstad was the next man up and he blasted a two-run homer to right field to pull UND nearly even at 4-3.

The Broncs responded with a pair of runs in the seventh to take a three run lead at 6-3. UND pulled back within two runs after a Jake Magner homer to right-center, his sixth of the season, made the score 6-4 UTPA. That would be the final Sioux run, as the Broncs scored an insurance run in the ninth for the 7-4 win.

Zouzalik (W, 4-1) earned his team leading fourth victory after pitching 5.0 innings and allowing three earned on nine hits with three strikeouts. Derek Beirmaier (L, 0-3) took the defeat for the Sioux allowing six earned runs on nine hits with one walk and four strike outs in 6.0 innings. Leo Chang picked up his second save by pitching a scoreless ninth.

The Broncs regular season comes to an end, but the team will stay in North Dakota for next week's Great West Conference Championship Tournament hosted by UND at Kraft Field. The Broncs will likely be the sixth seed in the eight-team field. The tournament field and schedule will be announced after GWC play on Saturday.