RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team lost its Western Athletic Conference (WAC) series against the Stephen F. Austin (SFA) Lumberjacks after dropping the finale 11-2 on Sunday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
UTRGV (17-14, 7-8 WAC) sophomore first baseman
Jacob Sanchez and junior left fielder
Brandon Pimentel each had solo homeruns. Sanchez led all UTRGV hitters, going 2-for-4. Junior third baseman
Diego Ramirez and graduate student centerfielder
Jacob Hirsh tallied one hit each. Starting RHP junior
Jesus Aldaz took the loss, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits. He struck out seven and issued no walks.
SFA (10-21, 6-9 WAC) scored two runs in the top of the second after a solo homerun by
Cal Martin and a hit batter with bases loaded. The Lumberjacks extended their lead to 3-0 with another solo homerun in the third, this one by
Clayton Loranger.
Patrick Kudelka earned the win for SFA. He took the mound to start the bottom of the fourth and went 2.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on two hits with three strikeouts. Starting LHP
Angelo Gennari pitched three scoreless innings with two hits, one walk and one strikeout.
Sanchez made it 3-1 with a solo homerun over the left field wall in the fourth. Junior RHP
J.C. Ariza entered the game in the fifth with runners on the corners and one out.
Jake Zarrello made it 4-1 with a RBI single to right. Graduate student second baseman
DeAndre' Shelton turned a 4-3 double play to end the frame and limit the damage.
Pimentel made it 4-2 with his 10
th homerun of the season, a no-doubt shot to left in the bottom of the sixth. SFA sent
Reid Boyett to the bump to close the frame. Boyett pitched 2.2 scoreless, hitless innings with two strikeouts.
SFA scored a run on a sacrifice fly by
Chaney Dodge in the eighth. The Lumberjacks extended the lead to 11-2 in the ninth after RBI doubles from Loranger and Martin, a throwing error at shortstop which allowed two runs to score, a steal of home on a throw down to second, and a RBI single by
Cameron Crawford.
Redshirt junior RHP
Alex Verdugo took the mound in the ninth after a brief appearance from sophomore RHP
Zach Tjelmeland, who gave up two runs on two hits. Verdugo went two-thirds of an inning and allowed three unearned runs on one hit, two walks and struck out one. Junior LHP
Diego Escobedo pitched the final third of the ninth and allowed one unearned run with one hit.
UTRGV will play the Houston Cougars for the third time this season on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Houston.
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