Box Score

CHICAGO, Ill. – Senior Alberto Morales posted his first-career four-hit performance, but the University of Texas-Pan American Broncs baseball team fell to the Chicago State University Cougars 4-1 in game one of a doubleheader on Saturday at Cougar Stadium.
 
Since moving into the leadoff spot against Bakersfield on April 19, Morales has gone 9-for-17 (.529) with three doubles, two walks and three runs scored in four games.
 
Redshirt freshman Edinburg alum Edgar Cordon also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a walk.
 
Junior Alex Henson (1-2) limited the Cougars (14-26, 3-11 WAC) to two hits, both of which were by Matt Schmidt, through four scoreless innings. In the fifth, however, Rob Swenson led off with a double. After a sacrifice bunt, Jared Patterson hit an RBI-single and moved to second on an errant throw. Mattingly Romanin followed with an RBI-single to make it 2-0.
 
That was it until the seventh, when Chase Matheson hit an RBI-double to knock out Henson, who struck out a career-high eight while allowing six hits and three walks in six and two-thirds innings.
 
Ean McNeal (3-4) kept the Broncs (18-26, 8-9 WAC) bats in check throughout for the first seven innings, working his way around seven hits and three walks. In the eighth, however, a walk, a single and a fly ball put runners on the corners with one out, setting up a sacrifice fly by Cordon to bring the Broncs within two.
 
The Cougars got that run back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-single by Swenson.
 
In the ninth, Morales led off with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on an error to complete the scoring.
 
McNeal ended up pitching his second complete game, allowing nine hits and five walks while striking out six. He threw 92 of his 157 pitches for strikes (58.6 percent).
 
The Broncs and Cougars play game two of this doubleheader to complete the three-game series in approximately 30 minutes.

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