EDINBURG – Sophomore Nikki Rowe alum Ryan Jackson pitched a three-hit shutout and senior Jacob Huckabay drove-in a career-high tying three runs to lead the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team past the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners 5-0 on Friday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
 
After allowing two singles the first time through the order, Jackson (3-3) retired 19-straight Roadrunners (9-34, 4-14 WAC) to get the game to the ninth inning. He struck out three without walking anyone while enducing 13 flyouts and 11 groundouts. Jackson threw 77 of his 113 pitches (68.14 percent) for strikes.
 
Huckabay finished 2-for-4 with an RBI-single in the fourth and a two-run single in the fifth. Huckabay's big day started before the game, when his brother, United States Navy Second Class Petty Officer J.T. Huckabay, surprised him by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to him. It was the first time J.T., who served two years in the Persian Gulf, had ever seen Jacob play at the collegiate level.
 
The Vaqueros (19-22, 8-8 WAC) also scored on a fourth inning suicide squeeze by junior Victor Garcia Jr. against Isaiah Moten (1-3), and an eighth inning bases loaded walk by junior Jose Garcia against Adam Coats.
 
Senior Cole Loncar finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
 
The Vaqueros and Roadrunners play the middle game of this three-game series on Saturday at 6 p.m. Gates open at 5.

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