RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The South Texas Showdown presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union was a shutdown indeed as The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team picked up a 4-0 victory over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) Islanders on Tuesday at the UTRGV Baseball Stadium. 
 
UTRGV (9-4) was led offensively by graduate student Brett Cain, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one home run. Graduate student RHP Chase Bridges picked up the win in the pitch-by-committee contest after turning in a shutout fifth inning with one hit and two strikeouts. 
 
TAMUCC (8-6) starting pitcher senior Cassius Shy turned in his longest outing of the season, allowing two earned runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts in five innings in the loss. Max Puls recorded two hits for the Islanders. 
 
UTRGV got the scoring started in the bottom of the second. A pair of free bases via a walk and a hit by pitch put two Vaqueros on for Cain. The designated hitter did his job, sending an RBI single to the right side to make it 1-0. 
 
Cain blasted a solo homerun to right to lead off the bottom of the fourth, putting UTRGV up 2-0. 
 
It was a bullpen game for the Vaqueros as head coach Derek Matlock wanted to get the arms warmed up ahead of the weekend series. Sophomore RHP Angelo Cabral got the start and pitched one inning, notching two strikeouts. Redshirt junior Alex Verdugo took the mound in relief to start the second and tossed three scoreless innings with two strikeouts, one hit and two hit batters.  
 
In three consecutive innings, TAMUCC put two runners on the basepaths. Each inning, a different Vaqueros pitcher got out of the jam, with help from sophomore centerfielder Spencer Serven. 
 
Verdugo drew consecutive fly outs to center in the fourth. With two runners in scoring position and one out in the fifth, Bridges recorded two huge strikeouts, one swinging and one looking, to leave the runners stranded. Senior Ricky Gerik Jr. took the mound in the sixth and got a strikeout and a flyout to center to keep Islanders on first and second. 
 
Junior shortstop Diego Ramirez extended the UTRGV lead in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrifice fly to center. The Vaqueros strung together four singles in the bottom of the eighth, including a bases-loaded RBI single to left from graduate student second baseman DeAndre' Shelton to make it 4-0. 
 
Sophomore Hunter Rosenbaum worked a three-up, three-down seventh inning. Junior J.C. Ariza sat the Islanders down quickly in the eighth. Graduate student Max Balderrama Jr. sent TAMUCC down in order in the ninth to secure the shutout.   
 
Shelton went 2-for-4 at the plate and stole third after knocking a double in the fourth inning. Graduate student catcher Bryan Sturges also doubled and then stole third in the third inning. Sturges caught Puls attempting to steal second base in the second inning.  
 
The middle infield duo of Shelton and Ramirez turned two 4-6-3 double plays to end the second and third innings. 
 
UTRGV ended the night with eight hits but committed three errors. The Vaqueros' pitching staff only allowed four hits while collectively striking out nine. 
 
The Vaqueros host Abilene Christian in the Western Athletic Conference opening series on Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 12 p.m. at the UTRGV Baseball Stadium. 

Support UTRGV Baseball | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube