RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team scored two runs in the sixth and three in the seventh before falling to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 9-6 as part of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, on Friday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in front of a crowd of 3,618.
Junior
Easton Moomau led the Vaqueros (13-13, 8-5 SLC) by going a season-best 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBI. Junor PSJA alum
Julius Ramirez finished 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
The Vaqueros trailed 9-1 entering the sixth but loaded the bases with nobody out to setup a sacrifice fly by junior
Chayton Fischer and an RBI-single by senior
Hank Warren to make the score 9-3.
In the seventh, the Vaqueros loaded the bases again to start the inning. Ramirez walked to force-in a run, Moomau hit an RBI-single, and then graduate student PSJA alum
Diego Villescas walked to bring home another run and bring the Vaqueros within 9-6.
Chase Mayer pitched 3.0 hitless innings for his second save.
The Vaqueros forced
Easten Smith (3-1) to throw 38 pitches in the first inning, fouling off several pitches while drawing two walks. Moomau hit a two-out RBI-single to put the Vaqueros up 1-0.
The Islanders (12-13, 2-7 SLC) responded with three runs (one earned) against graduate student
Sergio Lopez (2-3) in the third.
Isaiah Afework opened the inning with a double. One out later,
Jackson Smith hit an RBI-double. After a walk,
Matt Evans hit a grounder to first the junior
Armani Raygoza couldn't handle, allowing a run to score.
Hunter Azemar followed with a sacrifice fly to make the score 3-1.
The Islanders batted around while scoring six runs in the fourth. Afework started the scoring with a two-run home run. Three batters later, with runners at second and third and one out,
Matt Evans hit a two-run single. He moved to second on the throw and stole third before scoring on a wild pitch. Later in the inning,
Christian Smith-Johnson hit an RBI-single, hit second hit of the inning, to put the Islanders up 9-1.
UTRGV and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi play the middle game of this series on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. during Swifties Night. Fans are invited to make their own UTRGV friendship bracelet, presented by Vaquero Outfitters, while enjoying the Taylor Swift songs they know all too well. Fans that come dressed as Taylor Swift can compete in the Best Era outfit contest, with prizes for the top three winners, courtesy of Vaquero Outfitters. Fans will be able to take part in Taylor Swift bingo throughout the game. Some fans will be chosen to compete in the finish the lyrics contest for Taylor Swift songs between innings. Some fans will be invited onto the field between innings to show off their best Fate of Ophelia dance.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at
UTRGVTickets.com. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with a digital ticket that can be acquired at
GoUTRGV.com/StudentTickets while also showing their student ID. Fans can learn more about game day, including parking information, maps, and the clear bag policy, by visiting
RallyTheValley.com.
Fans can watch domestically on
ESPN+ or internationally via
Southland International.
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