LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team hit a program record-tying six home runs for the first time in 21 years but fell to the New Mexico State University Aggies 11-10 on Sunday at Presley Askew Field.
The Vaqueros (22-20, 13-11 WAC) last hit six home runs in a game in 2000 against Western Illinois. The Vaqueros also hit six against William Penn in 1991.
This is the first time the Vaqueros have ever hit more than three home runs against a conference opponent, a feat the Vaqueros last accomplished in Friday's 8-5 victory over the Aggies (17-25, 14-14 WAC).
The Vaqueros finished the series with 11 home runs.
Graduate student
Andy Atwood hit his sixth home run and senior
Elijah Alexander hit his third home run of the season to bring the Vaqueros to within 3-2 against
Cam Blazek (3-1) in the fourth.
Junior
Freddy Rojas Jr. hit his eighth home run of the season to bring the Vaqueros to within 6-3 in the fifth.
Junior Vela alum
RJ Ochoa and senior
Jacob Hirsh led off the eighth with back-to-back home runs, their third and second home runs of the season, respectively, to bring the Vaqueros to within 9-8.
Then, in the ninth, Ochoa launched a two-run home run, marking his first-career multi-home run game and his fourth home run of the season, to bring the Vaqueros to within 11-10.
Hirsh finished a career-high tying 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Ochoa went a career-high tying 3-for-4 with two home runs, a career-high tying three RBI and a career-high three runs scored. Atwood finished 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Alexander went 2-for-5 with a home run, an RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore
Jacob Flores finished 2-for-5.
Sophomore
Jesse Fonteboa also supplied a big hit, clearing the bases with a two-out double in the sixth to bring the Vaqueros to within 9-6.
The Aggies put up three runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings. In the third,
Ethan Mann drew a bases-loaded walk from sophomore
Colten Davis (4-1) and
Cal Villareal followed with a two-run single to make the score 3-0.
In the fourth,
Brandon Dieter hit a solo home run and
Kevin Jimenez hit a two-run double to make the score 6-2.
In the fifth, Dieter hit an RBI-single and
Tommy Tabak hit a two-run single to make the score 9-3.
Then with the score 9-8 with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Mann hit a two-run home run to complete the scoring.
Lyle Hibbits recorded the final four outs for his first save.
UTRGV opens up a four-game series against Tarleton on Friday at 6 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
UTRGV Athletics is capping capacity at UTRGV Baseball Stadium at approximately 1,200 fans. Single-game tickets can be purchased online at
UTRGVTickets.com. For more information about game day, visit
GoUTRGV.com/game-day.
Fans can also watch for free online at
WACDigitalNetwork.com.
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