EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team scored two runs in the eighth to beat the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals 4-3 on Tuesday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
 
The Vaqueros (12-13) trailed 3-2 entering the bottom of the eighth, but junior Victor Garcia Jr. drew a leadoff walk, and then Lance Moszkowicz (1-3) issued a four-pitch walk to junior Edinburg alum Edgar Cordon. Two outs later, senior Scott Mercer came through with a go-ahead two-run single.
 
Mercer finished 3-for-5 with a walk and 6-for-10 with five RBI against the Cardinals (7-22) this season.
 
Junior Andrew Garcia (4-2) recorded the final four outs for the win. He was relieving sophomore Nikki Rowe alum Ryan Jackson, who pitched a season-high 7.2 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk to go with a season-high tying six strikeouts. Jackson retired the first 10 batters he saw, facing the minimum 14 batters through 4.2 innings. He allowed just two hits, both to Eddy Gonzalez, though the first 7.1 innings.
 
Gonzalez's first single led to a run in the seventh on a groundout by Brance Kahle to make it 2-1.
 
The Cardinals took the lead in the top of the eighth on RBI-singles by Braden Martin and Gonzalez.
 
The Vaqueros got on the board in the third on an error and scored again in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by junior Jose Garcia.
 
The Vaqueros open up a three-game series at Chicago State on Friday at 3 p.m.

Support UTRGV Baseball | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube