RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Making the final home start of his career, senior
Kevin Stevens pitched 8.0 innings of three-hit shutout ball to lead The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team to a 4-1 victory over the Sam Houston Bearkats, a team receiving votes in the latest NCBWA poll, on Friday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in front of a crowd of 2,687.
The Vaqueros (30-20, 15-10 WAC) are now within two games of the Bearkats (27-21, 17-8 WAC) for first place in the Western Athletic Conference Southwest Division standings with five games remaining.
Stevens (8-2) struck out nine to increase his career total to 213, four shy of seventh place in program history (Hall of Famer
Jesse Trinidad, 217, 1974-76). Stevens walked one while allowing three singles, two of which didn't leave the infield. This is the second time Stevens has pitched 8.0 innings this season.
The Vaqueros broke through against
Matt Dillard (5-4) in the second, putting two on with two out to set up an RBI-double by graduate student
Jacob Hirsh.
Postbaccalaureate student
Cameron Blake opened the third with a double and junior
Diego Ramirez hit a single. Junior
Brandon Pimentel followed with a sacrifice fly. Then, after a single by graduate student
Bryan Sturges, graduate student
Brett Cain hit a two-run double to make the score 4-0.
Cain finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Hirsh went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
The Bearkats pushed across their run with two outs in the ninth on an RBI-single by
Easton Loyd.
UTRGV and Sam Houston play the middle game of this three-game series, presented by
G3 Scrap Metal, on Saturday at 6 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium. It's Superhero Night. All fans dressed as their favorite superheroes and comic book characters will receive free general admission. Gates open at 5 p.m. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at
UTRGVTickets.com. Current UTRGV students, including those graduating this weekend, get free general admission by showing their student ID. Gates open one hour prior to scheduled game time. 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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