CHICAGO, Ill. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team fell to the Chicago State University Cougars 12-7 on Friday at Cougar Stadium in the first game of a three-game series.
 
Junior Jose Garcia led the Vaqueros (12-14, 1-3 WAC) by going 3-for-5 with three runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Senior Scott Mercer drew a career-high four walks with two runs scored out of the two-hole.
 
Andy Gertonson led the Cougars (7-21, 1-6 WAC) by going 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored. Sanford Hunt also homered while finishing with four RBI as part of a 2-for-5 game. Cody Freund went 2-for-2 with two walks, three RBI and three runs scored.
 
The Cougars jumped out to an 11-2 lead over the first four innings, scoring three runs in the first and third innings against sophomore Johnny Gonzalez (4-2).
 
The Cougars added five runs in the fourth on a Gertonson double, a two-run single by Freund and a two-run home run by Hunt.
 
That made a winner of Jake Perkins (2-4) who allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks while striking out four in five innings.
 
The Vaqueros scored twice in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Correy Davis and an error that scored Mercer.
 
The Vaqueros then added one in the seventh on an RBI-single by junior Jacob Huckabay and two in the eighth on an RBI-single by junior Joseph Collazo and a sacrifice fly by Davis.
 
The Vaqueros and Cougars conclude the series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 12 p.m.

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