RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team fell to the Northwestern State Demons 9-6 on Friday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in front of a crowd of 2,671.
The Vaqueros (14-17, 9-8 SLC) batted around in the first against
Dylan Marionneaux (3-2) as the first five batters all had hits. Junior
Rocco Garza Gongora opened with a double and senior
Thomas Williams hit a single. Juniors
Armani Raygoza and PSJA alum
Julius Ramirez followed with RBI-singles. Junior
Easton Moomau singled to load the bases. One out later, graduate student PSJA alum
Diego Villescas walked to force-in a run and senior
Hank Warren hit a sacrifice fly to make the score 4-0.
Williams finished 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Ramirez went 2-for-5 with an RBI.
The Demons (20-10, 12-5 SLC) got one back in the second when
J.T. Simonelli led off with a single and
Michael McAllose hit an RBI-double to make the score 4-1.
The Demons scored a pair of unearned runs in the fourth on a two-run single by
Joe Siervo after an inning-extending error to pull within 4-3.
Graduate student
Aaron Sanchez halted the Demons offense for the next two innings with his second-straight scoreless relief appearance, striking out one while scattering three hits in 2.0 innings.
Ethan Menard led off the seventh with a single against senior
Steven Oliva (0-2). Simonelli followed with a game-tying double. One out later,
Noah McNeil,
Zach White, and
Sam Ardoin all singled, with McNeil and Ardoin driving in runs.
Brooks Leonard capped the inning by reaching on an error that allowed Ardoin to score to put the Demons up 7-4.
The Vaqueros loaded the bases on walks against
Jacob LeBlanc with one out in the eighth. Villescas walked to force-in a run and Warren hit a sacrifice fly to bring the Vaqueros within 7-6. LeBlanc bounced back with a scoreless ninth for his first save.
The Demons added two insurance runs in the ninth, as with a runner at third and one out, McNeil hit an RBI-double and White hit an RBI-single.
UTRGV and Northwestern State complete this series Saturday at 1 p.m. during Bark in the Park, presented by Raising Cane's. Dogs will receive free bandanas while supplies last. Anyone bringing a dog must
fill out the release found here. Fans can save time by
downloading it, filling it out, printing it, and bringing it with them.
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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