May 19, 2022

NACOGDOCHES – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball team beat the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks 9-5 on Thursday at Jaycees Field.

Nine different Vaqueros (31-22, 16-12 WAC) were involved in the scoring, as graduate students Brett Cain and Freddy Rojas Jr., juniors Brandon Pimentel, Chris Mondesi, and Diego Ramirez, sophomore PSJA alum Jacob Sanchez and freshman Vela alum Isaac Lopez all had at least one RBI and one run scored while postbaccalaureate student Cameron Blake and sophomore Spencer Serven also scored runs.

Mondesi finished 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI and two runs scored. Rojas went 2-for-3 with a triple, two walks, an RBI and a run scored. Lopez finished 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Graduate student Bryan Sturges finished 2-for-5.

The Vaqueros jumped on Benny Emmons III (3-5) right away, as with Pimentel at first and two outs in the first, Cain hit an RBI-triple and Rojas followed with an RBI-single to make the score 2-0.

Then, down 4-2 in the third, Rojas hit a leadoff triple, setting up an RBI-single by Sanchez. Mondesi reached on an error. One out later, Lopez hit an RBI-double, Blake grounded out to bring home a run, and Pimentel hit an RBI-single to put the Vaqueros up 6-5.

Mondesi belted his fourth home run of the season and Ramirez scored on a wild pitch in the eighth to put the Vaqueros up 8-5.

Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth to complete the scoring.

The Vaqueros used eight different pitchers as they focus on preparing for next week’s Western Athletic Conference Tournament. Senior Kevin Stevens started, striking out three in the first two innings. Stevens now has 216-career strikeouts, one shy of seventh place in program history (Hall of Famer Jesse Trinidad, 217, 1974-76).

The ‘Jacks (14-36, 7-21 WAC) pushed across their first run in the second on a single by PJ Villareal.

Graduate student Max Balderrama Jr. (2-2) took over in the third and struck out two, but Peyton Parker grounded out to bring home a run, and then with two outs, Dillon Eastman and Adrian Minjares hit RBI-singles to make the score 4-2.

Alex Verdugo struck out the leadoff man in the fourth before allowing a one-out RBI-single to Clayton Loranger to make the score 6-5.

Graduate student Chase Bridges followed by striking out the final three batters of a hitless fifth.

Junior Alec Cruz made his UTRGV debut in the sixth, recording his first strikeout in a hitless inning.

Senior Zach De Leon pitched a perfect seventh, aided by a diving catch by Cain in center field, and followed that up with a scoreless eighth, striking out one.

Graduate student Ricky Gerik Jr. pitched a perfect ninth, striking out the final batter.

UTRGV and Stephen F. Austin play the middle game of this three-game series on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Fans can watch in the United States on ESPN+ or internationally at WACSports.com/Watch.