RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team beat the Youngstown State University Penguins 11-8 in game two of a doubleheader to complete the doubleheader sweep on Saturday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in front of a crowd of 1,318.
Junior
Brandon Pimentel led the Vaqueros (8-3) by going a career-best 5-for-5 with a career-high tying two home runs, a career-high two doubles, four RBI, and a career-high four runs scored. Graduate student
Freddy Rojas Jr.went a career-high tying 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk, a career-high tying four RBI and a career-high tying three runs scored.
The Penguins (2-8) scored immediately, as
Seth Lucero hit a leadoff home run against sophomore
Angelo Cabral in the first.
Cabral responded by retiring the next six. He didn't allow another hit in 3.2 innings, striking out two and walking three.
The Vaqueros offense also responded, doing so in the bottom of the inning, as Pimentel hit his first home run of the game and junior
Diego Ramirez hit a two-out RBI-single to make the score 2-1.
That's where the score stayed until the fifth, when the Vaqueros put runners at second and third with one out to set up a two-run Rojas double. One out later, sophomore PSJA alum
Jacob Sanchez hit an RBI-double to put the Vaqueros up 5-1.
The Penguins scored five runs in the sixth on an RBI-single by
Padraig O'Shaugnessy, an RBI-fielder's choice by
Steven D'Eusanio and a three-run home run by
Ian Francis.
In the bottom of the inning, though, the Vaqueros put runners on the corners with one out against
Nick Perez (1-1), setting up an RBI-single by sophomore
Alex Kelch and a two-run double by Pimentel. Rojas followed with a 10-pitch at-bat that ended with a two-run home run to right field to put the Vaqueros up 10-6.
That made a winner of sophomore
Hunter Rosenbaum (1-1), who pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, striking out three.
The Penguins got two back in the eighth on a two-run triple by
Andre Good. Graduate student
Max Balderrama Jr.came into the game and struck out the first two batters he faced before getting a line out to strand Good at third.
Pimentel got one back with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning, his sixth of the season.
Balderrama pitched 2.0 scoreless innings, striking out four, for his first save.
UTRGV and Youngstown State complete this four-game series on Sunday at 12 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at
UTRGVTickets.com. Gates open at 11 a.m. Those unable to attend the game in person can watch in the United States on
ESPN+ or internationally at
WACSports.com/Watch.
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