NEW ORLEANS – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team clinched its second-straight Southland Conference series victory by beating the New Orleans Privateers 14-8 on Saturday at Maestri Field, marking the Vaqueros' sixth-straight win.
This is the Vaqueros' (10-2, 5-0 SLC) longest winning streak since April 11-30, 2021, when the Vaqueros won seven-straight games.
The Vaqueros are off to the best overall start since 2017, when they also started 10-2.
The Vaqueros are off to their best conference start since 2012, when they started 8-0 in Great West Conference play.
Sophomore
Armani Raygoza led the Vaqueros offensively, going 3-for-5 with his team-leading fourth home run, three RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore
Easton Moomau drove-in a career-high tying three runs, one of which came on his first-career home run. Senior
Hank Warren went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Senior
Steven Lancia walked a career-high five times, scoring twice.
The Vaqueros sent 12 batters to the plate in the second. Lancia led off with a walk against
Zach Longshore (0-3). After a Raygoza infield-single, graduate student PSJA alum
Jacob Sanchez was plunked to load the bases. Junior
Rene Galván followed with a 2-run double and then Warren hit a 2-run single. After a sacrifice bunt, graduate student Vela alum
Isaac Lopez hit a 2-run double. An error brought home another run. Two batters later, Raygoza recorded his second hit of the inning, this one to drive-in a run, to make the score 7-0.
The Vaqueros drew three 2-out walks to load the bases in the third. Moomau got plunked and then Lancia walked to force-in runs, making the score 9-0.
Junior Los Fresnos alum
Víctor Loa (3-1) held the Privateers (7-6, 2-3 SLC) off the board until the fourth when
Jahlani Rogers hit a 3-run home run to make the score 9-3.
That was it against Loa, who struck out five in 5.0 innings
Moomau answered in the fifth with a solo home run to put the Vaqueros up 10-3.
In the sixth, the Vaqueros loaded the bases with one out, setting up a run-scoring walk by junior
Thomas Williams and a Moomau sacrifice fly to make the score 12-3.
The Privateers got three back with two outs in the eighth when
Diego Villescas hit a 2-run single and
Matt Gonzalez was plunked with the bases loaded to force-in a run and make the score 12-6.
Raygoza responded with a 2-run home run with two outs in the ninth to put the Vaqueros up 14-6.
Rogers added a 2-run home run in the ninth to complete the scoring.
UTRGV and New Orleans complete this three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast domestically on
ESPN+ and internationally via
Southland International.
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