RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team, which is receiving votes for the second week in a row in the
USA Today Coaches and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Polls, beat the Houston Christian University (HCU) Huskies 15-0 in seven innings on Saturday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in front of a 956 Night crowd of 6,324, the second-largest in program history.
This is just the third crowd of over 6,000 in program history. Last year's 956 Night against UT Arlington drew 6,044 fans on April 6, 2024. UTRGV drew a program record 6,418 fans for a game against No. 6 Texas on April 26, 2022.
The Vaqueros (17-4, 10-1 SLC), the No. 8 team in the NCAA RPI, are off to the fifth-best start in program history and their best overall start since 1979, when they started a program record 20-1. The Vaqueros are now 10-1 in conference play for the first time ever in an NCAA Division I conference.
Sophomore
Armani Raygoza was one of three Vaqueros with three hits, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a career-high tying four RBI, and two runs scored. Sophomore
Easton Moomau went a career-high tying 3-for-5 with a career-high tying three runs scored. Junior
Thomas Williams went a career-high tying 3-for-4 with a career-high tying two runs scored. Senior
Hank Warren went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Junior
Damien Whitfield finished a career-high tying 2-for-3 with two RBI, a run scored, and a diving catch in centerfield.
The Vaqueros scored 10 runs in the fourth inning to turn a 2-0 lead into a 12-0 lead. The Vaqueros loaded the bases with nobody out against
Joshua Caravalho (5-1). Graduate student Vela alum
Isaac Lopez hit a groundball to the right of shortstop.
Trevor Roper, looking for a force, fielded the ball and threw it wide of second. Three runs scored as Lopez went to second. After a Moomau single, senior
Steven Lancia hit an RBI-single. Raygoza then singled to put runners on the corners. A passed ball scored Lancia and moved Raygoza to second. One out later, Williams singled. Then, with two outs, Warren, Whitfield, and Lopez hit RBI-singles to cap the inning.
This is the second time UTRGV has scored 10+ runs in an inning this season after scoring 11 runs in the ninth against No. 20 Dallas Baptist on Feb. 18.
In the fifth, Raygoza launched a 2-run home run, his team-leading eighth. Graduate student PSJA alum
Jacob Sanchez followed with a double on the 10
th pitch of his at-bat. After a Williams single, junior
Rene Galván hit into a fielder's choice to bring home Raygoza, making the score 15-0.
Junior Los Fresnos alum
Víctor Loa (4-1) made the runs stand up, striking out five Huskies (13-7, 6-2 SLC) in 5.0 scoreless innings while scattering four hits and two walks. Freshman
Harrison Thayer struck out two in 2.0 hitless innings to close out the game.
The Vaqueros put runners at second and third with one out in the second, setting up a Warren RBI-groundout to make the score 1-0.
Moomau led off the third with a single. He stole second and then scored on a two-out RBI-double by Raygoza to put the Vaqueros up 2-0.
UTRGV and HCU complete this three-game series Sunday at 12 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in a game presented by Main Event. Fans will receive all you can play wristbands, courtesy of Main Event, good from Sunday through Thursday. Fans that bring their Vaqueros Debit Card from Texas Regional Bank will receive free general admission to the game. Additionally, all Sunday home games feature the Family Fun Day: 4 for $44 promotion which includes four general admission tickets, four drinks, and four hot dogs for $44.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at
UTRGVTickets.com. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID. All fans need to follow the clear bag policy, details of which can be found at
GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag. Fans can find a full list of game day information at
RallyTheValley.com. Gates open at 11 a.m.
Fans can watch domestically on
ESPN+ or internationally via
Southland International.
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