RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Graduate student Andy Atwood hit walk-off single in the ninth to lead The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team to four-game sweep of the Seattle U Redhawks by winning 6-5 on Sunday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
 
The Vaqueros (21-17, 12-8 WAC) are now winners of six in a row.
 
Junior Freddy Rojas Jr. led off the ninth with a double against Alex Jemal (2-6). Atwood laid down a bunt and beat the throw, colliding with first baseman Drake Maningo on the play. The ball got loose, allowing Rojas to score the winning run.
 
That made a winner of junior Ricky Gerik Jr. (1-2), who struck out the side in a perfect ninth.
 
Atwood led the Vaqueros by going 4-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored. Graduate student Coleman Grubbs went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Rojas went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored. Senior Jacob Hirsh finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.
 
Atwood drove-in the first run of the game in the first. After Grubbs led off with a double, Atwood singled Grubbs in with one out.
 
Hirsh scored his run in the second. After hitting a two-out single and moving to second on an error, junior DeAndre' Shelton hit a grounder to second that ate up Trevor Antonson, allowing Hirsh to score to make the score 2-0.
 
In the third, the Vaqueros had Rojas at third and senior Elijah Alexander at first with two outs. Alexander took off for second, and as soon as the throw went through, Rojas took off for the plate, scoring on the Vaqueros' second double steal of the series.
 
The Redhawks (13-21, 7-13 WAC) tied the game in the fourth on a three-run home run by Antoson.
 
Atwood hit his fourth home run of the season in the fifth to make the score 4-3, but the Redhawks tied the game in the seventh when Kai Alberghini, who had reached on an error earlier in the inning, scored on a wild pitch.
 
The Vaqueros regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh. After loading the bases with nobody out, sophomore Angel De La Cruz hit a ground ball to second that brought home Grubbs to make the score 5-4.
 
In the top of the eighth, the Redhawks loaded the bases with nobody out and brought in the tying run when Drake Maningo grounded into a double play.
 
Sophomore Colten Davis started for the Vaqueros, pitching the first 5.0 innings, striking out five while allowing three runs on six hits and one walk.
 
UTRGV visits New Mexico State for a four-game series starting Friday at 7 p.m. Fans can watch for free online at WACDigitalNetwork.com.

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