SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley baseball team won the series finale of a three-game series against Sacramento State 5-3 on Sunday at John Smith Field.
 
UTRGV (15-9, 1-2 WAC)scored all of its runs on big hits from the top third of the order in the fifth and sixth innings. 
 
Down 3-0 in the fifth, junior Conrado Diaz came up with the bases loaded and one out and hit a bases-clearing double to the right-center field wall to tie the game.
 
Then, in the sixth senior Anthony Gomez hit a two-out, two-run double down the left field line off Brady Rodriguez (3-2) to give UTRGV the lead.
 
Gomez finished 2-for-4. Junior Andy Atwood walked three times and scored twice.
 
Sophomore Max Balderrama Jr. (2-0) earned the win in relief, striking out a season-high six in a season-high three innings of work.
 
Balderrama's last two innings were scoreless. In the fourth, however,Sacramento State(15-8, 2-1 WAC) scored on a Bronson Grubbs sacrifice fly and a Dawsen Bacho single.
 
Sacramento State scored its first run in the third on a Matt Smith sacrifice fly.
 
Senior Nikki Rowe alum Ryan Jackson entered the game with the bases loaded and nobody out in the eighth and got two strikeouts and a groundout to escape the threat.
 
Jackson then tossed a hitless ninth for his fifth save of the season and 12^thof his career, the third-highest total in program history.
 
UTRGV visits No. 22 TCU on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in a game that will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.

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