RIO GRANDE VALLEY – In the conclusion of its first series as a member of the Southland Conference, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team completed a sweep of the defending champion and preseason favorite Lamar Cardinals by winning the finale 5-2 Sunday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in front of a crowd of 1,519.

Senior Steven Lancia led the Vaqueros (7-2, 3-0 SLC) offensively by going a season-best 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Graduate student PSJA alum Jacob Sanchez went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Sophomore Easton Moomau finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Down 2-1 in the sixth, the Vaqueros erupted for four runs against Kyle Moseley (0-1). With out, Lancia double, Moomau hit an RBI-single, and Sanchez singled. Freshman Cameron Carter got hit by a pitch to load the bases. One out later, junior Damien Whitfield was plunked, graduate student Vela alum Isaac Lopez walked, and junior Thomas Williams was plunked to force-in three runs and put the Vaqueros up 5-2.

That made a winner of senior Francisco Hernandez (1-0), who pitched 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.

Junior Steven Oliva pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out two, for his second save.

The Cardinals (9-4, 0-3 SLC) put runners on base in each of the first four innings, but thanks in-part to three double plays, the game stayed scoreless.

In the fifth, though, Tab Tracy reached on an error and Damian Ruiz singled. After a groundout advanced the runners, Zak Skinner grounded out to drive-in a run and then Zane Spinn hit an RBI-single to make the score 2-0.

The Vaqueros got one back in the fifth when, with runners at second and third and nobody out, Whitfield hit an RBI-infield single to make the score 2-1.

UTRGV visits Houston on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast via Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

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