HOUSTON – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball opened a four-game weekend with a 6-1 victory over the Texas Southern University Tigers on Friday at Schroeder Park on the campus of the University of Houston.
Sophomore
Alex Kelch led the Vaqueros (4-0) by driving in a career-high three runs as part of a 2-for-3 game. Graduate student
Bryan Sturges finished 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. Junior
Brandon Pimentel went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, marking his third-straight multi-hit game.
The Vaqueros loaded the bases with one out in the first against
Jordan Martinez (1-1), setting up a bases loaded walk by graduate student
Freddy Rojas Jr. One out later, Kelch hit an infield-single to bring home a run and make the score 2-0.
Jeremy Gaines answered with an RBI-single off senior
Tyler Kisner in the bottom of the inning to bring the Tigers (6-1) within 2-1.
That was it against Kinser, who pitched 3.2 innings, striking out one in his second-career start and first since March 7, 2020.
The Vaqueros got the run back in the third on an RBI-double by graduate student
Bryan Sturges. Two batters later, Kelch singled to bring home Struges and put the Vaqueros up 4-1.
The Vaqueros then added on in the fifth when Sturges led off with a double and scored on an error. One batter later, with Rojas on third, Kelch lifted a fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly that put UTRGV up 6-1.
Senior
Ricky Gerik Jr. (1-0) was dynamic in relief, pitching a career-high 3.1 innings of scoreless one-hit ball, striking out a career-high tying three while issuing just one walk.
Sophomore
Zach Tjelmeland followed with 2.0 scoreless innings of relief to close out the game.
UTRGV and Texas Southern face off again Saturday at 12 p.m. UTRGV then faces Houston on
ESPN+ at 4 p.m.
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