SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team dropped the first game of a doubleheader to the Sacramento State Hornets 20-5 in seven innings on Friday at John Smith Field.
 
The Vaqueros (28-23, 19-14 WAC) scratched across single runs in three of the first four innings.
 
In the first, the Vaqueros recorded three-straight one-out hits, including an RBI-single by sophomore Diego Ramirez, to go up 1-0.
 
In the third, senior Jacob Hirsh hit a leadoff home run to bring the Vaqueros to within 4-2.
 
Ramirez and Hirsh each finished 2-for-3.
 
Postbaccalaureate student Christian Sepulveda added an RBI-single in the fourth to make the score 4-3.
 
Sophomore Jacob Flores added a pinch-hit two-run single in the seventh to complete the scoring.
 
The Hornets (33-19, 21-13 WAC) scored four runs in the first and four in the fourth against junior Deryk Serbantez (2-2).
 
In the first, Ryan Walstad hit a two-run double and then Dawsen Bacho and Steven Moretto followed with RBI-singles.
 
In the fourth, Matt Smith hit a two-run double, Bacho doubled-in a run, and then Chris Gonzalez hit an RBI-single to make the score 8-3.
 
The Hornets added 12 runs in the sixth on a Walstad two-run home run, a Gonzalez RBI-double, a Moretto RBI-double, a Martin Vincelli-Simard RBI-double, a Nick Iwasa sacrifice fly, a Walstad two-run single and a grand slam by Hunter Dorraugh to make the score 20-3.
 
That made a winner of Wesley Harper (1-0), who pitched 3.0 innings of scoreless relief.
 
UTRGV and Sacramento State play game two of this doubleheader at approximately 6 p.m. Fans can watch for free online at WACDigitalNetwork.com.

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