UTRGV Vaqueros stay strong at home, clinch series against Southeastern Louisiana
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley had themselves a busy weekend as they hosted the Southeastern Louisiana Lions in a three-game series.
UTRGV (18-21, 12-12) ended up taking the season series, 2-1, during a weekend that threw some curveballs for the home squad.
The Vaqueros on Friday had the first game in the series against the Southland Conference’s first place Lions (22-18, 14-7) on national television — which was on ESPNU during primetime hours in front of a sellout crowd of over 6,000. UTRGV, though, held their own as they took the first game, 8-6.
And that’s where the curveball got thrown for both the home and away teams.
Initially, the teams were to play Game 2 on Saturday and Game 3 on Sunday. But, for those folks at home reading this, know that we got some rain this weekend.
To play around the weather (pardon the pun), the teams had a doubleheader on Saturday.
The Vaqueros lost Game 2 by the score of 11-6. After some time to recuperate for both teams, Game 3 was underway.
Defense was the key in the third bout as the first three innings were a standstill for both squads. It wasn’t until the top of the fourth where the Lions’ Dane Watts singled up the middle for the first score of the game.
At the bottom of the fourth, UTRGV responded when Diego Villescas hit a grounder to left field that slid by the third baseman for a score for the Vaqueros.
Then, it was all Vaqueros when they came back in the bottom of the fifth as they responded with 7 runs to really give them a cushion against the Lions.
With runners on first and second, Rocco Garza Gongora bunted to shift the runners to second and third base — also to put some pressure on the Lions with the runner in scoring position. Thomas Williams cracked it to the right side of the field for 2 RBI. Afterward, Julius Ramirez — a former PSJA Bear — singled for another RBI. Then, Easton Moomau singled to the right field for the 2 RBI to make it 6-1 UTRGV.
But, the Vaqueros weren’t done there, Hank Warren hit a sacrifice popfly to get Moomau to score. Then, in another sequence, Chayton Fischer singled to centerfield to make it 8-1.
The pitching was some of the best that UTRGV has performed this far during the season. Harrison Thayer pitched throughout six innings and allowing only one score. He had five strikeouts on the night.
Kike Cienfuegos — who is a Sharyland alum and the closer — had himself four strikeouts to keep the Lions at bay.
At the bottom of the eighth inning, Williams and Armani Raygoza each earned an RBI to bring the final score to 10-1.
Head Coach Derek Matlock said that the team has a tough road stretch coming up but playing in front of the home squad was really special.
“But man, what a great Friday night man on national TV,” Matlock said. “And the way we played, and the way the 956 (came) out, man. This is a special place.”
The road stretch is really something because this week, UTRGV travels to Arkansas to take on Little Rock. Then by the weekend, they have to be in Louisiana to take on McNeese State.
If that doesn’t tire you out from just reading it, the team the following week takes on nationally ranked Oregon State — who is 6th in the country as of press time.
It’s not until the first week of May when baseball comes back to Edinburg to host the University of Incarnate Word in a three-game series.