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EDINBURG – Sophomore
Elijah Alexander hit a walk-off single with two outs in the 10
th to send The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley baseball team to a 7-6 season opening victory over Central Michigan University (CMU) on Friday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium during day one of the Al Ogletree Classic.
Making his debut as the 12
th head coach in program history, head coach
Derek Matlock becomes the seventh head coach to win his first game.
Alexander entered the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth and came up with runners on the corners facing
Dazon Cole (0-1). In his first at-bat for UTRGV (1-0), Alexander lined a 3-1 pitch into center field to end the game.
Senior
Austin Siener and junior
Aaron Dees hit home runs to help give UTRGV the lead midway through the game.
Siener's home run was a two-run laser over the left field wall to break a 3-3 tie in the fifth.
Dees' home run was a towering blast into the right field bullpen to complete the scoring in the sixth. Dees finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored in his UTRGV debut.
Dees also singled to lead off the third before scoring on an RBI-triple by junior
Coleman Grubbs to bring UTRGV within 2-1.
Then, in the fourth, sophomore
Tyler Torres doubled-in a run before scoring on a Dees single to give UTRGV a 3-2 lead.
Senior
Carter Johnson went the first five innings, striking out six while allowing three runs on four hits.
Junior Brownsville Veterans alum
Luis Acosta struck out a career-high seven while allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits in 3.1 innings of relief.
After Acosta gave up a run on an error in the eighth, he departed with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth. Junior Nikki Rowe alum
Ryan Jackson (1-0) came in and struck out
Evan Kratt, but
Griffin Lockwood-Powell hit a bloop single to score to run and tie the game.
Zach Gilles scored CMU's (1-1) first three runs while going 3-for-5. Gilles scored on a sacrifice fly in the first, a groundout in the third, and a home run in the fifth.
Tyler Hankins started for CMU, striking out eight in five innings while allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits.
UTRGV plays twice on Saturday, hosting Stephen F. Austin at 11 a.m. and CMU at 3 p.m. Gates open at 10 a.m.
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