RIO GRANDE VALLEY – In a clash of the two teams that shared the 2025 Southland Conference Championship, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team clinched a 2-1 series victory by beating the Southeastern Lions 10-1 in game two of a doubleheader on Saturday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in front of a crowd of 3,524.
The Vaqueros (18-21, 12-12 SLC) have now won four of their last five games.
Sophomore
Harrison Thayer (6-2) set the tone for the Vaqueros, pitching 6.0 innings of one-run ball, striking out five while allowing four singles and two walks.
Junior Sharyland alum
Kike Cienfuegos struck out four in 3.0 scoreless innings to close out the game and earn his second save.
Graduate student PSJA alum
Diego Villescas led the Vaqueros offensively by going 3-for-4 with a run scored. Senior
Thomas Williams went 2-for-5 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored. Junior PSJA alum
Julius Ramirez finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Thayer and
Blake Lobell (2-1) traded 0s for the first three innings. With one out in the fourth, though, the Lions (24-17, 13-8 SLC) put two on with two out, setting up an RBI-single by
Dane Watts to take a 1-0 lead.
The Vaqueros got that run back in the bottom of the inning, as with two outs, Ramirez singled, junior
Easton Moomau walked, and Villescas reached on an error that brought home Ramirez to tie the game a 1.
In the fifth, the Vaqueros sent 12 batters to the plate while scoring seven runs. Senior
Hank Warren opened the inning with a seven-pitch walk. Junior
Chayton Fischer was then plunked. After a sacrifice bunt, Williams hit a two-run single. Junior
Armani Raygoza followed with a walk and then Ramirez hit an RBI-single and Moomau hit a two-run single. Villescas singled and junior
Rene Galván walked to load the bases. Warren hit a sacrifice fly and Fischer hit an RBI-single to cap the inning with the Vaqueros up 8-1.
The Vaqueros added two more runs in the eighth. Fischer drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Williams followed with an RBI-double and then Raygoza hit an RBI-single to put the Vaqueros up 10-1.
UTRGV plays its next seven games on the road starting Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Little Rock on
ESPN+.
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