RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team fell to the Texas Tech Red Raiders 21-12 on Tuesday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in front of a program record crowd of 6,588.
Including the crowds of 5,862 on Friday and 5,040 on Saturday, UTRGV has now welcomed three crowds of 5,000+ in the span of four games for the first time in program history. UTRGV has now drawn 19,781 fans through four games, the best four-game attendance in program history and an average of 4,945 fans per game. During that stretch, UTRGV set new program records for Friday attendance (5,862), Sunday attendance (2,291), and Tuesday attendance (6,588).
This was also the last game of #RallyTheValley Week, presented by McAllen International Airport. While playing eight home games in six days across baseball and men's and women's basketball, UTRGV welcomed 25,195 fans.
Senior
Ethan Edinger led the Vaqueros (1-3) offensively by going 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored. Junior
Armani Raygoza finished 2-for-4 with a home run, two walks, two RBI and two runs scored. Junior
Easton Moomau went 2-for-4 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored.
Down 2-0 after the top of the first, the Vaqueros sent 13 batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning to score eight runs. The first four batters reached, the last of which was Moomau, who drew a bases-loaded walk. One out later, junior
Chayton Fischer was plunked to force-in a run. Graduate student PSJA alum
Diego Villescas followed with a sacrifice fly and then Edinger hit an RBI-single. After sophomore
Cameron Carter walked to re-load the bases, junior
Rocco Garza Gongora was plunked and Raygoza walked to force-in runs. Junior PSJA alum
Julius Ramirez capped the inning with a 2-run single to make the score 8-2.
The Red Raiders (1-3) answered by sending 11 batters to the plate to score seven runs in the third.
Kyeler Thompson drew a leadoff walk and then
Tracer Lopez hit an RBI-double. After a
Connor Shouse single, Lopez scored on a passed ball.
Logan Hughes followed with a double, setting up a 3-run home run by
Linkin Garcia. One out later, graduate student
Colton Vercoe (0-1) plunked
Matt Quintanar before allowing an RBI-double to
Robin Villeneuve. One hit later, Thompson grounded out to bring home a run and give the Red Raiders a 9-8 lead.
The Red Raiders put runners at second and third with one out in the fourth, setting up a
Caden Ferraro sacrifice fly and Quintanar RBI-double to make the score 11-8.
Kaysen Raineri (1-0) came on in the second and pitched 3.0 hitless innings of relief before Edinger and Raygoza hit home runs to bring the Vaqueros within 11-10 in the fifth. Raineri struck out six in 3.2 innings.
The Red Raiders batted around again in the sixth while scoring five runs. Garcia started the scoring with a 2-run home run. Later, with the bases loaded and two outs, Lopez hit a 2-run single and Shouse hit an RBI-single to put the Red Raiders up 16-10.
In the seventh, Ferraro hit a one-out double and scored on a Quintanar single to make the score 17-10.
In the eighth, Lopez hit a leadoff double and scored on a Shouse single. Three batters later, with runners on the corners and two outs, a wild pitch brought home Hughes to make the score 19-10.
In his first Division I at-bat, junior
Andrew Taylor belted a pinch-hit 2-run home run in the eighth to bring the Vaqueros to within 19-12.
The Red Raiders got those runs back in the ninth on a pair of RBI-groundouts, one by Hughes that was an error, and one by Ferraro.
The Red Raiders jumped on the board in the first on a Shouse RBI-double and a Garcia sacrifice fly to go up 2-0.
UTRGV kicks off a seven-game road trip with the first of three at Houston on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Fans can watch on
Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Support UTRGV Baseball |
Become a Fan on Facebook |
Follow us on Twitter |
Follow us on Instagram |
Follow us on YouTube
