MESA, Ariz. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team, the Southwest Division #3 seed, opened the Western Athletic Conference Tournament with a 2-1 victory over the Sacramento State Hornets, the West Division #2 seed, on Wednesday at Hohokam Stadium, the spring training home of the Oakland A's.
UTRGV advances to the quarterfinals Thursday at 6 p.m. against the winner of today's game between Sam Houston, the Southwest Division #1 seed, and New Mexico State, the West Division #4 seed. Fans can watch in the United States on
ESPN+ or internationally at
WACSports.com/Watch.
UTRGV went 3-3 against Sam Houston and 2-1 against New Mexico State this year.
Senior
Kevin Stevens (9-2) was dominant for the Vaqueros (33-23), striking out 12 in a season-high tying 8.0 innings while allowing six hits and two walks.
Stevens now has 228-career strikeouts, passing Hall of Famers
Jesse Trinidad (217, 1974-76) and
Andre Rabouin (223, 1969-72) for sixth place in program history.
The Hornets (30-25) recorded two hits to score their lone run in the first, as after a
Jorge Bojorquez leadoff double,
Martin Vincelli-Simard came through with a two-out double to make the score 1-0.
Stevens didn't allow a runner past first again until the eighth, retiring 14-straight batters from the third through the eighth. The Hornets put together back-to-back one-out singles and a walk to load the bases in the eighth, but Stevens responded by inducing a groundball to short. Freshman Vela alum
Isaac Lopez gloved the ball and flipped it to second in one motion to start an inning-ending double play.
The Vaqueros responded immediately after the Hornets scored their run, as with two outs in the second, graduate student
Jacob Hirsh drew a seven-pitch walk, stole second, and scored on a Lopez single.
That was it against
Eli Saul (6-1) until the eighth, as with two outs, junior
Brandon Pimentel singled to right and then graduate student
Brett Cain hit an RBI-double to give the Vaqueros a 2-1 lead.
Pimentel and postbaccalaureate student
Cameron Blake each finished 2-for-3.
Graduate student
Ricky Gerik Jr. made his program record 33
rd appearance and pitched a scoreless ninth for his seventh save of the season, which is tied for fourth-most in program history with
Ryan Jackson (2018),
Andrew Padron (2015), and
Scott Fowler (2001).
Gerik now his nine-career saves, tied for the seventh-highest total in program history with
Ricky Broyles (2004-05) and
Marc Ottmers (1993-93).
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