RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team dropped the second game of their Western Athletic Conference (WAC) series against the Stephen F. Austin (SFA) Lumberjacks 5-4 on Saturday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium. 
 
UTRGV (17-13, 7-7 WAC) got the tying run to third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth after graduate student second baseman DeAndre' Shelton worked a leadoff walk, was bunted to second and stole third. SFA (9-21, 5-9 WAC) relief pitcher Brooks Caple notched a strikeout to secure the win and pick up a save after pitching one scoreless, hitless inning. 
 
Graduate student right fielder Brett Cain led the Vaqueros offensively, going 2-for-4 with three RBI on two home runs. Sophomore first baseman Jacob Sanchez and graduate student catcher Bryan Sturges also went 2-for-4. Sanchez had one RBI and Sturges hit one double to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. 
 
Junior starting RHP Colten Davis took the loss after allowing five runs, four of them earned, on nine hits through five innings. He struck out six batters and didn't walk anyone. Senior RHP Ricky Gerik Jr. pitched well in relief, going four scoreless innings with three hits, two strikeouts and two walks. 
 
SFA starting RHP Benny Emmons earned the win after pitching five innings and giving up four earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks.  
 
SFA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second behind a pair of RBI singles by Dillon Eatman and Chaney Dodge, but it didn't last long. Cain tied things up with a two-run home run just inside the left field foul pole. 
 
The Lumberjacks went back on top 3-2 off a RBI single to right by Jake Zarrello in the third. Again, Cain tied the game with one big swing. His second homerun of the night, a solo shot in the fourth, cleared the visitor's bullpen in left field to make it 3-3. 
 
SFA reclaimed the lead 5-3 in the top of the fifth. Zarrello notched his second RBI single with two outs, then the strong winds caused a high infield fly ball to fall and score Eatman on an error.
 
Sturges knocked a leadoff double to right center to start the sixth. UTRGV strung together three hits and used a RBI single to left center by Sanchez to cut the deficit to 5-4. SFA sent Skyler Jaco to the mound in relief after the score and he quickly drew three ground balls to end the rally. Jaco pitched three scoreless innings and only allowed one hit with one strikeout and no walks. 
 
Gerik and his defense worked around a leadoff triple by Cameron Crawford and an intentional walk of Zarrello, the second he received in the contest, to keep the game within one run after the top of the ninth. Gerik's second and biggest strikeout stranded two SFA runners in the frame to give UTRGV a chance to walk it off, but Caple's big inning prevented that. 
 
The series rubber match will be played Sunday at 12 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium. 

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