Box Score

EDINBURG – Down 6-0 in the fourth, the University of Texas-Pan American Broncs baseball team rallied back to tie the game twice before junior Cole Loncar hit a walk-off home run to finish off a 9-7 victory over the Chicago State University Cougars on Friday at Edinburg Baseball Stadium.
 
Loncar finished a triple short of the cycle, going 3-for-6 with a career-high four RBI. It was his second home run of the season and first at home. He hit the home run with one on and one out in the ninth against Dane Mehring (1-3), sending the ball beyond the left field wall.
 
That made a winner of sophomore Nikki Rowe alum Andrew Padron (2-2), who struck out two in a scoreless ninth.
 
Down 6-0 in the bottom of the fourth, the Broncs (13-22, 1-12 WAC) used a walk and a hit batsman to put two on with one out against Eric Hall, setting up an RBI-double by Loncar. A wild pitch allowed another run to score, making it 6-2.
 
The Broncs tied the game in the fifth despite only having one hit. After a pair of walks to start the inning, Jerry Silva came in and threw away a sacrifice bunt attempt, loading the bases. Sophomore Jacob Huckabay was hit by a pitch to force-in a run, and then sophomore Edinburg alum Edgar Cordon walked to force-in another run. Mehring came in out of the bullpen and gave up an RBI-single to Loncar. One batter later, senior Logan Landon walked to tie the game.
 
The Cougars (7-28, 1-11 WAC) tried to take the lead against freshman Harlingen South alum Zach Martinez in the seventh on a fly ball to left with a runner at third and one out, but freshman McAllen Memorial alum Manny Loredo uncorked a strong throw to nail Jordan Stroschein at the plate.
 
In the eighth, however, with a runner at third and one out, Mattingly Romanin hit a deep fly ball to center to score the run.
 
Loredo again responded, this time on offense, by tying the game with an RBI-double in the bottom of the inning.
 
The Cougars knocked out senior Alex Henson after two outs, drawing four walks, two of which came with the bases loaded, to score a pair of unearned runs after an error extended the inning.
 
The Cougars scored another unearned run in the third on a Matt Schmidt sacrifice fly against freshman Nikki Rowe alum Ryan Jackson.
 
The next inning, the Cougars used three doubles and a walk, including an RBI-double by Chase Matheson and a two-run double by Andy Getonson, to build a 6-0 lead.
 
The Broncs and Cougars play the middle game of this three-game series on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Edinburg Baseball Stadium. Gates open at 5.

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