LAKE CHARLES, La. – Senior
Thomas Williams doubled-in the go-ahead run in the 11
th to lead The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team past the McNeese Cowboys 8-7 on Friday at Joe Miller Ballpark.
This was the Vaqueros' (19-23, 13-12 SLC) fourth extra-inning game of the season, all of which have been on the road and three of which have been in conference play. The first three went 10 innings. The Vaqueros are now 3-1 in extra innings.
This was the UTRGV's longest game since March 15, 2024, a 10-9, 13-inning home win over Nicholls. This was UTRGV's longest game away from home since April 8, 2023, an 11-10 13-inning loss to Houston Christian University at UIW. This was UTRGV's longest true road game since May 20, 2021, a 5-4, 11-inning loss at Sacramento State.
Williams led the Vaqueros offensively by going a career-high tying 4-for-5 with a home run, a season-high tying two doubles, two walks, a season-high tying three RBI, and a run scored. Graduate student Vela alum
Rudy Gonzalez went a season-best 2-for-4 with a career-high tying two walks, a career-high two steals, and a run scored. Graduate student PSJA alum
Diego Villescas finished 2-for-5 with a home run and a walk. Junior
Evan Janner went a season-best 2-for-5 with a run scored. Senior
Hank Warren finished 2-for-3.
With the game tied at 7 in the 11
th, Gonzalez walked with one out and stole second with two outs. Williams, who is now on a 12-game hitting streak, doubled down the left field line against
Eric Nachtsheim (5-2) to give the Vaqueros the lead.
That made a winner of graduate student
Colton Vercoe (3-4), who racked up a career-high nine strikeouts in a career-high 5.0 innings.
Williams homered in the first to put the Vaqueros up 1-0.
In the bottom of the inning, though,
Easton Dowell led off with a double against graduate student
Sergio Lopez and scored on a one-out triple by
Danny Barbero.
Hayden Stringfellow followed with a bloop RBI-single to put the Cowboys (22-20, 10-12 SLC) up 2-1.
With two outs in the fourth, Janner was plunked and then Gonzalez singled and stole second. Junior
Rocco Garza Gongora hit a two-run single and Williams hit an RBI-double to put the Vaqueros up 4-2.
In the bottom of the inning, the Cowboys put runners on the corners with one out, setting up a suicide squeeze by
Connor Schneider to bring the Cowboys within 4-3.
That was it against Lopez, who struck out seven in 6.0 innings.
The Vaqueros got that run back in the fifth on a Villescas home run to make the score 5-3.
In the seventh, Warren hit a one-out single and then pinch runner and senior
Damien Whitfield stole second. Graduate student
Austin Stracener followed with a pinch-hit RBI-single. Two batters later, with the bases loaded, Garza Gongora hit a sacrifice fly to extend the Vaqueros' lead to 7-3.
Korey Cooper hit a grand slam off Vercoe with one out in the eighth to tie the game at 7.
UTRGV and McNeese play the middle game of the series Saturday at 2 p.m. on
ESPN+.
Support UTRGV Baseball |
Become a Fan on Facebook |
Follow us on Twitter |
Follow us on Instagram |
Follow us on YouTube
