UTRGV baseball (15-16, 7-7) takes the first game of doubleheader 5-4 against Utah Valley University (5-22, 3-11) earlier today at the UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
Vaqueros Head Coach Derek Matlock went back to his defensive oriented outfield of graduate left fielder Elijah Alexander, graduate center fielder Coleman Grubbs and senior right fielder Jacob Hirsh.
The veteran Hirsh, who has only started six games this season, pushed across the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth, down the right field line off Wolverine freshman reliever Carson Brown.
Brown would be credited with the loss after 1.2 innings of work, stepping in relief for starting freshman pitcher Nick Sims in the fifth.
In the second inning, Hirsh would also hit a sac-fly to right to bring in Alexander to put the first run on the board for UTRGV.
Hirsh also showed off the accuracy of his cannon-like right arm as he threw out sophomore DH Brandon Luna at the plate with plenty of time to spare in the fourth inning.
Junior catcher RJ Ochoa would take Sims deep to left field in the second, for his second home run of the season, to even the game at two.
Usually playing right field, junior Freddy Rojas Jr. was the DH for the Vaqueros batting in his usual cleanup spot and brought in a run in the third with a rocket to the right field corner.
Alexander would remain hot after his two-home run performance in Friday night’s 6-1 victory, with a double in the second inning and an RBI sac-fly in the fifth to give the Vaqueros a 4-2 lead.
The Wolverines would cause problems for UTRGV starting pitcher Max Balderrama Jr. early, loading the bases and scoring two on a senior first baseman Kade Poulsen single and junior catcher Drew Sims sacrifice fly in the opening frame.
Balderrama would eventually be pulled in the fifth after allowing a two-out, bases-loaded two-RBI single to Luna to even the game at four, finishing the day allowing 10 hits and four runs, three earned, only striking out two of the 25 he faced.
Senior reliever Chase Bridges would step in for the Vaqueros and record the final out of the fifth and earned his third win of the season by holding the Wolverines to one hit on 38 pitches the rest of the way.
The game was only played to seven innings as a part of the Saturday doubleheader.
The Vaqueros are currently facing the Wolverines in the second game of the doubleheader, story coming soon.
Twitter: @Radio_Rubio
