LAKE CHARLES, La. – Junior
Armani Raygoza hit a go-ahead home run in the 10
th to send The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team to a 10-7 victory over the McNeese Cowboys on Sunday at Joe Miller Ballpark.
With the game tied at 7 in the 10
th, senior
Damien Whitfield led off with a single against
Eric Nachtsheim (5-3). Two outs later, senior
Thomas Williams drew a four-pitch walk, setting up Raygoza's 15
th home run of the season.
This was the Vaqueros' (20-24, 14-13 SLC) second extra-inning victory of the weekend. The Vaqueros and Cowboys (23-21, 11-13 SLC) also went 11 innings Friday. This is the first time the Vaqueros have played multiple extra-inning games in the same series since May 20 (11 innings) and 21 (10 innings), 2021 at Sacramento State. This is the first time the Vaqueros have won multiple extra-inning games in the same series since Apri 13-14, 2019 at Grand Canyon (8-5 in 13 innings and 9-7 in 10 innings).
Williams led the Vaqueros offensively by going 1-for-4 with two walks and a career-high four runs scored. Raygoza finished with four RBI and a season-high tying three runs scored. Graduate student vela alum
Rudy Gonzalez went a season-high tying 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored. Junior
Rocco Garza Gongora finished 2-for-6 with a run scored.
The Vaqueros jumped on the board right away, as with one out in the first, Williams drew a 15-pitch walk that included 10 foul balls. After Raygoza was plunked, both runners advanced on an infield fly that wasn't caught. A wild pitch scored Williams while two more walks loaded the bases ahead of an RBI-walk by senior
Hank Warren to put the Vaqueros up 2-0.
The Cowboys answered immediately, as in the bottom of the inning,
Easton Dowell led off with a double and scored on a two-out single by
Hayden Stringfellow.
Isaiah Keller followed with a two-run home run to put the Cowboys up 3-2.
The Vaqueros batted around in the second to score three runs and take the lead. Gonzalez, Garza Gongora, and Williams started the inning with singles to load the bases. Raygoza and junior
Easton Moomau drew run-scoring walks to sandwich an RBI-single by junior PSJA alum
Julius Ramirez, putting the Vaqueros up 5-3.
The Cowboys loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth.
Korey Cooper hit an RBI-single to bring the Cowboys within 5-4.
In the sixth, the Vaqueros put runners at second and third with one out, setting up a Moomau two-run single to extend the lead to 7-4.
Moomau finished 1-for-3 with two walks and a season-high tying three RBI to extend his hitting streak to 15 games.
The Cowboys put two on with two out in the bottom of the sixth against senior Sharyland alum
Kike Cienfuegos (6-2). Dowell hit a two-run double to bring the Cowboys within 7-6.
The Cowboys tied the game at 7 with two outs in the ninth on an
Isaiah Keller home run to center field.
Cienfuegos struck out six without walking anybody in a career-high 7.0 innings of relief.
UTRGV visits No. 6 Oregon State for two games starting Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on
Pac-12 Insider.
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