SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team fell to the Sacramento State Hornets 5-4 in 11 innings on Thursday at John Smith Field.
Sophomore
Diego Ramirez led the Vaqueros (28-22, 19-13 WAC) by recording his third three-hit game of the season, finishing 3-for-4 with a run scored. Senior
Elijah Alexander went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Graduate student
Andy Atwood also finished 2-for-5.
Down 3-0 in the seventh, the Vaqueros put runners at first and second with nobody out, setting up an RBI-single by sophomore
Angel De La Cruz. After a bunt single by Alexander loaded the bases, postbaccalaureate student
Christian Sepulveda hit a ground ball to short. The flip to second was in time for the first out, but the relay to first got away as two runs scored to tie the game.
In the 10
th, Alexander started at second base. After a sacrifice bunt, senior
Jacob Hirsh lifted a sacrifice fly against
Jack Zalasky (6-2) to give the Vaqueros the lead.
In the bottom of the inning, the Hornets (32-19, 20-13 WAC) put runners on the corners with nobody out. Senior
Chase Bridges struck out
Ryan Walstad before a
Dawsen Bacho single tied the game. Then, after a wild pitch put runners at second and third, Atwood nailed the lead runner at the plate on a ground ball. Bridges then struck out
Steven Moretto to end the inning.
Moretto started the bottom of the 11
th at second base. Junior
Ricky Gerik Jr. (4-3) opening the inning with a strikeout, but after a wild pitch,
Keith Torres hit a walk-off single to end the game.
The Hornets initially broke through in the second on a one-out Moretto sacrifice fly and a two-out single by
Jack Bollengier.
Torres hit a two-out double in the fourth to put the Hornets up 3-0.
That was it against senior
Kevin Stevens, who struck out six without walking anybody and allowing eight hits in 5.0 innings. This was Stevens' third-straight start without allowing a walk.
Junior
Tyler Kisner followed with a season-high 3.0 scoreless innings, striking out two.
UTRGV and Sacramento State play a doubleheader on Friday at 3 p.m. Game one is scheduled for seven innings while game two is scheduled for the full nine. Fans can watch for free online at
WACDigitalNetwork.com.
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